PTSC wants mall tenants out

MALL tenants at three Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) Priority bus Route Malls are in for a bleak Christmas, after being given notice to pack up and leave by December 31.

All tenants along the PBR from Port of Spain to Arima were expected be served with quit notices this week, so legal action was taken on Monday challenging the move.

Notices served on 11 tenants so far at the San Juan, Tunupuna and Curepe malls called on them to give up possession by December 31, just over a month from the date the notices were served.

The notices are dated November 21. One,addressed to tenant Michael Michneau, tells him to quit occupation of the Curepe Transit Mall "on the 31st day of November 2018 or at the end of the month which will expire one month from the date of service of this notice on you."

The notice threatens that if he fails to leave by that date, legal action would be taken to eject him from the premises.

Attorney Michael Rooplal took up the plight of the tenants and on Monday, wrote a pre-action protocol letter to PTSC chairman Edwin Gooding. Referring to the quit notices, Rooplal said all the members of the Priority Malls Tenants Association are expected to be served with such notices and he is seeking a meeting with management.

The attorney described the action as unconscionable and said it stems from the tenants' recent serving of notice to sue PTSC over a 100 per cent increase in rent.

PTSC recently reminded the tenants that the rent had increased from $7 to $14 per square foot.