Delhi govt reluctant to amend Rent Bill
New Delhi: Delhi government seems to be reluctant to take any decision in case of the Delhi Rent (Amendment) Bill before the upcoming 2013 Assembly election as it may harm its prospects.
Although the union urban development ministry and Delhi government worked very hard to regularize unauthorized colonies and farmhouses hoping electoral benefits, they have hardly shown any interest in modifying norms in the Rent Bill by which lakhs of property owners are likely to get benefited.
While the rental properties in Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Paharganj and other prime commercial areas of Delhi are drawing a rent of only Rs 300-400 rent for a 2 bhk flat, the owners of the properties end up paying annual house tax of over Rs 5,000. The issue has been pending before the Centre since 1995 when the Delhi Rent Act was notified.
Recently, in an RTI reply, the government had said that no government is interested in taking up the case because if any move is made to raise the rental values, then the party would lose the business class votes.
The urban development ministry stated that the Delhi Rent Act 1995 had been notified through official gazette, but soon after the publication, it received several objections. The government then decided that the law would be enforced after bringing changes. If the bill gets passed by the Parliament, then the amendments would be implemented, it stated.
In February last year, the urban development ministry had discussed this issue. It was noted that, besides providing legal security to tenants, the Act should also safeguard the owners’ right in a way that secures growth of the housing in general and rental housing in particular.
Provision of standard rent and its increase should be made applicable to all cases of rented accommodation, both prospective as well as retrospective. And the remaining provisions should be applicable in prospectively manner only.
The Delhi government should bring forward a new Rent Bill, opined urban development minister Kamal Nath. It is better to follow some of the provisions existing in the Rent Acts of other countries, he advised.
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