GGN LANDOWNERS WORRIED AS RENT COLLECTION LESSENS

GURUGRAM: A major part of the income for villagers of Gurugram who sold their landholdings to private colonisers and government town planners lies in rentals from rooms and shops leased by them to the traders and labourers working in various sites of the city.

However, with demonetisation of notes, the land owners fear that this month will reap lesser rents.

Most of the landowners in good faith have already started providing leeway to their tenants in extending the time for paying the rent.

Most of the people who reside in the villages of Gurugram are small-time construction labourers, contractors, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and petty traders.

Most of these tenants are provided a single room to live. In many cases, a room is also shared by six to seven people.

The rent for the rooms range within of Rs 3,000 and Rs 6,000 based upon the facilities provided.

As the income of most of these tradesmen, which is dependent on cash, has been affected severely, landowners fear that not only this month but for the coming few months too there will less income from rents.

Not only do the prospects of rents from the residential tenants look weak but rents from the shops and stores also do not look bright.

In Sikander Pur Ghosi village, most of the traders and shopkeepers have shut down their businesses for the past six days fearing raids of income tax officers. The loss of business will result in negotiation for lesser rents in the coming months say anxious villagers.

The situation is the same in other villages of the Millennium City as well. Nathupur, Chakkapur, Jharsa, Wazirabad, Sirhaul, Kanhai, Sukhrali, Behrampur, Tikri are also facing similar crisis.

Khazan Singh, ex-sarpanch, Jharsa village said: “It seems that the Central government has not taken any cognisance of the difficulties which the decision of demonetisation is going to bring to the villagers as well as the poor workers who come to city for their livelihood. Most of our tenants who are smalltime construction labourers, are dependent on income through daily wages (dehadi). As it is they were already facing the challenge of getting work. Now, with this move, their miseries will further compound. As for us, the villagers we are facing the challenge of financial hardships in the future.”

When asked that why the villagers were not doing the transactions through cheques, a village landowner from Sikanderpur Ghosi on condition of annonymity said: “Most of our big transactions like those with shopkeepers and traders do happen through cheques. However, these small tradesmen come for a few months to earn their livelihood. They do not have a bank account and therefore we take cash from them.”