(Land) lording it over

Aminul Kabir, a service holder, is worried as his house rent will increase by Tk 500 in January. Added to this trouble is the fact that only one gas stove, instead of two, will be allowed for use in his household. Reason? The owner has built two additional storeys on the building. As the government is not approving new subscriptions for gas, the owner decided to cut down the gas supply to his old tenants in order to provide the service to the new floors.

Aminul lives with his wife and three children at Shewrapara in Dhaka’s Mirpur. He earns Tk 20,000 every month, out of which he pays Tk 12,000 as house rent. “I am worried now; how am I going to meet my other household expenses? I am in deep trouble,” says an anxious Aminul.“We the tenants of this building requested the owner many times to not increase the house rent or cut down the gas supply, but all in vain. Instead, we were told, ‘ Live here if you can, or else leave this building’,” he adds.“We cannot even move out of these flats as it is the same everywhere else,” he says in a frustrated tone.

This scenario is prevalent all over the capital. Most flat owners in Dhaka increase house rents on an annual basis, in some cases even twice a year. The House Rent Control Act, 1991 is not followed anywhere; on the other hand, the government has not increased the holding tax for the house owners in the last 24 years. Furthermore, as the government has stopped approving new subscriptions for gas supply in the city, those who have gas connections in their houses are demanding more rent from the tenants.

Year to year comparison of increase in house rent.

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