Judge: ‘PBR’s vendors injunction against PTSC a priority’

VENDORS at the Public Service Transport Corporation (PTSC’s) Priority Bus Route (PBR) malls can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for the rest of the Christmas shopping days.

High Court judge Ronnie Boodoosingh granted an injunction to the vendors yesterday, restraining PTSC from evicting them from the PBR’s malls in San Juan, Tunupuna and Curepe by December 31. Hearing the injunction yesterday, the judge deemed the vendors’ lawsuit a priority and listed the matter for hearing on January 7, 2019.

Not only to the San Juan, Tunupuna and Curepe vendors, but PTSC had served quit notices to all vendors at all of its PBR malls - Port of Spain to Arima. Attorney Michael Rooplal took up the plight of the Priority Mall Tenants Association and sought a meeting with PTSC’s management over the latter upping the tenants’ rent by 100 per cent - $7 to $14 per square foot.

Given the December 31 deadline to vacate, Rooplal filed a lawsuit on the vendors’ behalf against PTSC last week Tuesday. He disclosed that the lease agreement expired since 2016. Since, the association made recommendation to PTSC on the the level of rent vendors should pay.

Rooplal cited a letter dated October 9, 2017, from PTSC’s former general manager Ronald Harford, who had informed the association of what the association described as a “unilateral increase in rent of 100 per cent.”

Boodoosingh granted the injunction against PTSC, restraining it from evicting the PBR’s tenants by December 31. The judge ordered that the tenants serve notice on PTSC of the hearing of the matter to enable them to file a defence to the lawsuit.

He then ordered that the matter come up for hearing in the San Fernando High Court on January 7 at 10 am.