Covid-19: Maharashtra orders landlords to delay rent recovery by three months

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has asked landlords and house owners to consider deferring the recovery of rent payment by three months, and consequently, not evict tenants, as the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak has impacted incomes of many households and businesses.

Maharashtra's additional chief secretary Sanjay Kumar on Friday issued an advisory, where he said the covid-19 led lockdown has slowed down markets, factory operations and several businesses, affecting employment and source of income of many.

"Many people are staying on rent and it is a fact that tenants are finding it difficult to pay the rent regularly in times of financial crisis. Therefore, the recovery of payment (rent) should be postponed for the next three months," Kumar said.

He added that if a tenant fails to make payment on time, they should not be evicted.

The central government had first imposed a 21-day national lockdown till 14 April. With the rising number of cases in the country, the lockdown has been extended till 3 May.

Maharashtra has the highest number of infected patients In India followed by Delhi and Tamil Nadu. These states, along with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, account for more than 60% of the total number of cases in the country.

The state has reported only 34 fresh covid-19 cases in the past 12 hours, much lower than the hundreds the state has been confirming over the past week.

Of the 34, 23 are from Pune, six from Mumbai, four from Malegaon in Nashik and one from Thane, taking the state's total to 3,236. Maharashtra is also the first state in India to have crossed the 3,000 mark in the number of positive cases.