Islamabad: Traders demand legislation to regulate rent of shops

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Sohail Chaudhry
ISLAMABAD: The traders are suffering immensely in the absence of any law to regulate rent of shops and provide protection to the tenants and owners.

They demanded that the government come up with legislation to control rent of shops in the city markets. They said the skyrocketing rent was forcing them to close their business as increasing inflation in the country had reduced the purchasing power of the customers. Traders said it had become difficult for them to meet their business expenditures.

They said the absence of any law was resulting in sour relationship between tenants and owners of shops.

Traders Action Committee’s Secretary Ajmal Baloch told Daily Times that they would soon approach the government to convince it for formulating some rules and regulations to protect rights of tenants and the owners.

“We will go to the National Assembly to draw the attention of parliamentarians towards the rent control issue,” he said, adding, the traders had given enough time to the rulers to resolve their issues.

Baloch regretted that previous governments had formed no law to help smoothen relationship of tenants and building owners.

Super Market Traders Welfare Association Secretary General Shahzad Abassi said rent of some of the shops in the market had gone to Rs 300,000 per month.

He said in the same locality there were some shops of same size but the tenants were paying rent at Rs 25,000 per month, which was causing insecurity among the owners. He said old tenants were resisting increase in rent saying that they launched business at this place and in the beginning suffered loss but now the increased worth of shop was due to their business.

He said a proper law in this regard could help protect rights of both tenants and owners of shops.

Melody Market President Sallahuddin said rent of shops was increasing randomly as there was no law to decide the percentage of increase in rent on yearly basis. He said some of the owners were increasing 30 percent rent every year, which had become difficult for traders to pay.

“We have been asking the government to formulate a law for the last 20 years but to no avail,” he added.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...008_pg11_7