Appeal for waiver of one-month house rent

Bangladesh Renters’ Welfare Association, a private platform for the welfare and rights of countrywide house renters, in a statement on Tuesday urged the government for issuing notification to the house owners for the waiver of one-month house rent as economic crisis has swamped the country due to the cornonavirus pandemic.

“We expect that in consideration of severe financial and social crises, the house owners will be sympathized to the renters and exercise their broad humanity by sacrificing the house rent of one month,” Advocate Abed Reza, president of the association said.

Tens of thousands of people of Bangladesh, a country of above 165 million people, are now living and doing businesses at rented houses.

Currently Bangladesh is marking a countrywide lockdown excluding some very emergency services including grocery shops and pharmacies.

In the wave of the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic most of the people from country’s main cities including capital city Dhaka have already shifted to their rural homes.

Due to the standstill of business activities millions of people are now passing their livelihood amid financial crisis.

“[In this critical situation we urge] government to issue a notification addressing the house owners for concession of one-month rent,” the statement said.

Till the date so far 17 people have been killed by novel coronavirus in Bangladesh while a total of 164 people have been tested positive for the lethal virus.

Of the infected 33, however, have recovered the disease, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases worldwide has now surpassed 1.36 million, while the death toll is over 76,400, and more than 292,400 have recovered so far, the data said.

Kamruzzaman