In the wake of the ongoing protest against the proposed amendment of the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 by the state government, Congress leader Milind Deora has said that the government should wi
In the wake of the ongoing protest against the proposed amendment of the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 by the state government, Congress leader Milind Deora has said that the government should withdraw the proposed amendment citing that it would have disastrous consequences leading to the overnight ruin of lakhs of tenants staying under the erstwhile ‘pagdi system’.
The state government had, a week ago, announced that it would charge rent according to the prevailing market rates for residential tenants living in spaces above 847 square feet and commercial tenants in spaces above 540 square feet, both under the erstwhile ‘pagdi system’.
In a letter written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Congress leader and former South Mumbai MP Mr Deora stated, “It is indicated that the state government is moving towards adopting the draft Model Tenancy Act, 2015 prepared by the Union government. The draft of Model Tenancy Act altogether would lead to mass dis-housing of crores of tenants across the city of Mumbai and the state. The Model Act is not suitable for Maharashtra because of the long-standing peculiar history of pagdi system.”
The reason behind amending the Act, according to the state, is that it has given an undertaking to the Centre that while adopting the Centre’s ‘Housing For All’ scheme it would incorporate provisions of the draft of the Centre’s Model Rent Control Act in the state’s Rent Control Act.
“It should be noted that Gujarat, which has the same Rent Act as Maharashtra, has not taken any steps towards the Model Act. Also, the Model Act does not call for discrimination between tenants on the basis of size of their premises, as the state government is announcing it.
However, after BJP MLA Raj Purohit and Mangal Prabhat Lodha from South Mumbai mounted pressure, the chief minister is set to have conducting a review meeting before the proposed amended draft is presented in the Cabinet.
“Once the Act is amended, landlords will have the power to vacate tenants who fail to pay the rents and after the buildings have been vacated, its owners along with developers will reap a mind boggling bonanza of Floor Space Index (FSI) through redevelopment,” stated Mr Deora.
