APPROXIMATELY one month ago, City Engineer Colvern Venture was asked to provide an estimate of the damage done to the municipal abattoir by a crane belonging to John Fernandes Company Limited.

Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine, on Thursday, confirmed that he is still waiting on Venture to provide the estimate so that a meeting can then be fixed with the company, which has been working along with the City Council to date.

Since the accident last February 27, the abattoir at Water Street, South Cummingsburg, remains closed, resulting in daily loss of revenue to the City Council.

On February 27, at approximately 14:50 hours, a crane belonging to the said company, fell onto the roof of the abattoir. The roof, walls and windows of the kitchen area were severely damaged. The roof of the slaughtering chambers was also damaged.

The mayor had said he doesn’t wish to accept money from the company to finance the repairs, but prefers for them to complete everything. “I don’t want a temporary fix, because temporary turns into long term,” he said.

Narine also plans to request that the company pays City Hall the money that it has been unable to garner in revenues over the period that the abattoir remained closed. The meat and food inspectors are engaged in on-site inspections; no slaughtering can be done at Water Street due to health concerns.

The food hygiene section of the municipal abattoir falls under the Ministry of Public Health, Medical Officer of Health Department. The functions of the section include the slaughtering of bovine, porcine and ovine animals; inspection of animals for communicable diseases; and disposal of unsound meat.

The City Council has said it views this accident as unfortunate and regrets any inconvenience it has caused the business community and persons who use the facility.