Bangladesh Bharatia Oikya Parishad, an organisation of tenants, and Bangladesh Ganatantrik Mukti Andolan have called upon the government to properly enforce the House Rent Control Act 1991, for insuring rights of the tenants.

The platforms also urged the concerned authorities to take un initiative to observe November 30 as the Tenants’ Rights Day every year.

Ashraf Ali Howladar, president of both the platforms, made the call while addressing a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka today.

Addressing the human chain, Ashraf said the house owners will have to provide a copy of the agreement to their tenants and the rent of the house will have to be fixed based on the areas through proper enforcement of the act.

Apart from these, the house owners will have to provide slip for paying house rent to their tenants, Ashraf said.

To prevent the house owners from arbitrarily raising house rents and collecting excess rents from tenants, he also urged the authorities to form a five-member coordination committee in each police station across the city area.

The platforms also urged the government to build a housing project on its lands for low-income people.

The landmark High Court verdict delivered in 2015 to prevent owners from arbitrarily raising house rents and collecting excess rents from tenants has become ineffective as its full text could not be released due to death of the judge presiding the relevant bench.

Now there must be a rehearing on the relevant writ petition to get the full text released and make the verdict effective.

Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed the writ petition on April 25, 2010, seeking directives for the government to properly enforce the House Rent Control Act, 1991.

The act prevents house owners in the capital from collecting excessive rents and advance.

The rights organisation said most of the tenants were harassed by landlords who defy the rules of the law.