RAJESH MISHRA

DOHA EVEN though the one-week-old notice stuck on the barricade on way to the City Center says it will remain closed till further notice, a security official told Qatar Tribune on Saturday that the mall might reopen on Monday.

“It is being speculated that the mall might reopen on Monday, even though the final inspection by the Civil Defence authorities is yet to be carried out”, the security staff said. The reopening of the mall was postponed for the third time on Friday within a period of 10 days.

After the closure of the mall on June 15 following Civil Defence’s inspection, its reopening was scheduled for June 17, which was first deferred to June 19, and then again to June 22 and now it has been put off till June 25.

The notice, however, reads: “Dear customers, due to fire & safety system upgrade, City Center, Doha will remain closed till further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment caused - CCD Management.” The City Center management had reportedly asked for more time from the Civil Defence department of the Ministry of Interior to implement effective safety measures and meet the standards set by Civil Defence.

The City Center was closed last Friday reportedly for making necessary installations with regard to fire safety system at the mall following recommendations in this regard by a high-level panel formed by the Heir Apparent His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani recently to probe the fire incident at Villaggio Mall.

The MoI seeks to ensure installation of a state of the art fire safety system and an effective alarm system with emergency exits of the mall automatically linked to it so that evacuation of people in case of a fire is easy.

Meanwhile, the Landmark cinema opened its doors to the people on Thursday after three days closure for maintenance purposes.