Food court reopened

On Monday, inspectors from the Port-of-Spain City Corporation instructed the mall’s management to close following complaints of a stench and unsanitary conditions at the food court. Inspectors also made the management close the food court for two hours last Friday.

Food court tenants on Monday complained to Sabga about the sewerage system, dirty window panes and claimed the number of cleaners needed were never available as security guards often asked them to keep watch at the mall.

Yesterday, Sabga said the sanitation problem did not stem from a sewerage back-up, but from a build-up of grease from kitchens in to the sewer line.

“We had a problem with the sewer line backing up in the basement of the mall. There was no back up of sewerage and therefore no toilets were backed up,” said Sabga.

He said he had contacted WASA last month about clearing the line of the grease. WASA wrote to him stating that the cost to clear the sewer line would be $3,260.53. Sabga said on July 21 the cheque was cleared and WASA was paid. A crew was then sent to clear the line.

As for tenants’ concerns about cleaners, Sabga said the food court was shortstaffed but not because cleaners were performing security duties. Rather, two of the cleaners are on sick-leave. Sabga said he has since hired three men to assist with keeping the food court clean. A waste disposal contractor has also been hired to clear the garbage from the court, and to clean the grease build-up twice a week.

And the windows of the food court are to be cleaned soon.

“Everything is coming together now,” said Sabga. Clean-up at the mall began on Monday, as its waste disposal bins were washed out at its Chacon Street entrance. Broken toilet seats were also repaired overnight, a tenant said.