Maharashtra Rent Act controversy: Tenants want to be made home owners

BJP MLA Raj Purohit claimed that CM Devendra Fadanvis assured him that he will meet all the stakeholders related to the Rent Control Act 1999 tentatively by January 28. Purohit said this at a meeting of 600 tenants at Marine Drive's Garware Club last morning.

The tenants present at this meeting passed two resolutions - there should be no amendment in the Act and since tenants claim that they had paid huge amounts to their landlords while renting the spaces and have been regularly paying the rent, they should be made owners of the apartments they are staying in.

The amendment will force tenants to pay 250 times the existing rent for residential units measuring above 847 sq ft and 500 times for commercial units above 540 sq ft.

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A protest being held against likely amendments in Rent Act. Pic/Atul Kamble

Meanwhile, Purohit claimed that he met the chief minister on Saturday afternoon. "The CM met me on Saturday before he left for Delhi and told me that he would meet all the stakeholders, including tenants on January 28, tentatively. He said that only after meeting all of them, will he discuss the matter with the housing minister and then take a decision," said the MLA from Colaba.

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"By not letting the Rent Act get amended, the government will show that it's not the bureaucrats who are calling the shots but the government," he added.