Group to ask for PM's help after mall fire

PORTMORE, St. Catherine:

THE PORTMORE Deve-lopment Committee (PDC) said it would be writing to the Prime Minister to secure his intervention in getting assistance for the over 30 business persons displaced in the Portmore Mall fire.

Chairman of the PDC, Gazan Azan, said the committee was very concerned and would be writing the Prime Minister to ensure that an action committee is put in place as quickly as possible to address the concerns of the Portmore Mall fire.

At a meeting held at Portmore Pines, the PDC said it was calling on the National Insurance Fund and other agencies with responsibility for the mall to act swiftly to return normality to the operations there.

Councillor for the Portmore North Division and former chairman of the Portmore Joint Citizens Association, George Lee, said the committee was hoping that the mall would be fully restored for the Christmas season.

The mall was developed by the Urban Development Corp-oration (UDC) , an agency for which the Prime Minister has responsibility.

According to Mr. Lee, the material used to construct the property was from all indications, not suitable and the developers would have to revisit the plans for serious changes to the structure and material used.

Some of the goods damaged were not insured, said Mr. Lee, noting that this was the Portmore committee's main reason for seeking the Prime Minister's help.

Some 37 shops were gutted by fire in the early hours of Tuesday, July 3, leaving hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. The contents of some 29 shops were not insured.

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