Rent fixation
The administration in Srinagar has ordered fixing a rent fixation committee for rooms and places of residence hired by students in Srinagar city. This move has come as a relief for the students but will this act of the government find acceptance in real sense needs to be looked into as well.
The District Magistrate, Srinagar has constituted a committee for fixation of rent of rooms hired by students in city. The inter-departmental committee has been entrusted to finish the task within a period of 15 days besides, officials have been asked to ensure that students do not face inconvenience on this account.
The committee constituted with Assistant Commissioner Revenue as convener is comprised of Superintending Engineer PWD, Superintending Engineer Hydraulic , Superintending Engineer Power, Chief Education Officer and Deputy Controller Legal Metrology. Deputy Commissioner as chairman of District Rent Assessment Committee has tasked the team to arrive at a uniform rate to be fixed based on different types of accommodations offered to students in Srinagar city.
The committee will workout per square feet rent in different locations and also take into account the standard expenses involved viz a viz power and water supply, or any other recurring tariff. Department of Legal Metrology has been asked to receive the complaints in case of violation and initiate action wherever instances of overcharging are detected.
Pertinently, a large number of students in various areas of city complained about overcharging of room rent and related issues. The district administration has accordingly initiated the process for a fair and transparent process to ensure standardisation of rent to be paid for hired properties.
Rent fixation has always been an issue in a place like Srinagar. The various residential areas that fall under different ranges and zones have different rates that are charged from tenants. Not only the students but working professionals and those who outsiders who work in Srinagar also face the issue of rent fixation as they too complain of uneven rates and facilities.
Since renting of properties for residential purposes has off late turned out to be a good earning option so most of the residential areas are putting up a room or two for rent or even dedicate one or two bedroom sets for rentals in their homes. This has meant earning some extra bucks for various families especially those who have no male member to look after the requirements of the family.
Renting rooms in residential houses has also proven beneficial for the unemployed people who use their fixed assets to tide over their financial crisis and earn a livelihood. Since most of the people in Srinagar and even elsewhere have their owned residential properties the option to earn from these assets has worked well.
However, some cases of exploitation have come to the fore but the option to capitalize on the fixed assets has positive bearings too that cannot be ignored. The admin should genuinely ensure that a workable mechanism is put in place so that the move proves beneficial to all.
KV Network
