Students’ Federation
of India has asked the Delhi government and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to suspend
the rents of the students staying in apartments in New Delhi throughout the
period of lockdown. They said that several instances of landlords harassing the
students for rental payments have come to their notice and this is wrong and
unacceptable.
The students’
body asked the authorities to compensate the landlords for the loss of income.
"This
is completely wrong and unacceptable. In the circular issued by the Delhi
Disaster Management Authority, dated 22nd April 2020, the government of NCT of
Delhi had ordered against threats of eviction to student tenants by landlords
and against the latter asking for "immediate payment of rent","
SFI Delhi said in a statement.
"However,
even expecting a delayed payment of rent for the preceding months post the
lockdown is unacceptable since most students will not be able to afford to pay
such bulk amounts at that time," it added.
"Given that
scholarships are limited to a handful of students in our country due to
increasing privatization of education, most students are dependent on their
parents' income for their survival, which is uncertain in these times. This is
especially true for students whose parents are daily wage laborers or informal
sector workers. Even for the students availing scholarships, the disbursement
of scholarships has been irregular for a very long time. In such a situation, it is becoming
increasingly difficult for students staying in rented apartments to pay
rents," the statement said.
Tags: Covid-19 Lockdown
Covid-19 Breakout
Students’ Federation Of India
Room Rent During Lockdown
