Tenants protest dirty mall

The closure prompted angry food court tenants of the Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain mall to march across to Queen Street to Richard Sabga and Sons cloth store in protest. Sabga is the owner of the mall.

The tenants complained to Sabga about the dilapidated conditions of the mall, especially the sewerage system and the scent it emitted.

One tenant said the cleaners and the waste disposal company were not doing their jobs. Another said the glass behind customers’ seats is filthy and in need of cleaning.

Sabga said the glass was cleaned recently, however, the tenant insisted it had not been cleaned in about one year.

The tenants also complained that the security guards have been asking cleaners to guard the food court, which meant they did not have the required number of cleaning staff on any given day.

When Newsday asked Sabga to comment, he asked to be questioned an hour later. However, when Newsday returned, Sabga was said to be out. He did not return a follow-up call.

At 4 pm yesterday, the food court had not yet reopened.

Yesterday’s shutdown of the food court came after a two-hour closure on Friday morning again on the instruction of public health inspectors who responded to complaints from customers and tenants. The public health department gave the mall’s owners a list of work that had to be done to meet health and safety requirements.

Chief executive officer of the Port-of-Spain City Corporation Laraine Alexander said the entire mall was closed last Friday to facilitate the removal of a choke in the sewerage system. Although WASA cleared the choke, the public health inspectors further advised the mall management to have the sewerage system cleaned and washed on Saturday, she said.

Apart from the choke, overflowing toilets were also a problem.

Alexander said, “Although the scum had been cleared and the deposits were removed, it was not washed.”

This left residue which gave rise to a bad scent throughout the mall, she said, adding there was still a “back-up” in the toilets yesterday. When asked when the food court should be reopened, she said it depended on how soon the list of work given to the management is completed.

Last evening, workers were seen washing out waste disposal bins at the mall’s Chacon Street entrance.

Yesterday was the second time the food court was closed due to public health concerns. It also closed down on October 24, 2005 and was reopened on November 1.