Covid-19 lockdown turns landlord into a good Samaritan

In a humanitarian gesture, Mohammed Imran, an owner of a two-storey building in Kolkata, has exempted his tenants for paying house rent until the lockdown gets over. He also asked the tenants to give the amount in charity, if they desired to pay the rent.

Kolkata (West Bengal):With the entire country in a state of lockdown and relocation becoming an impossibility in these COVID-19 times, tenants, co-living and student housing firms are all in negotiation mode with landlords, trying to arrive at a consensus on extending existing rental agreements until the time the pandemic ends.

The Covid-19 lockdown has been springing up new surprises from various corners of our society. People are turning overnight into good Samaritans, many others are extending their helping hand to the needy in these tough times. Mohammed Imran of Kolkata's Collin Street is one such individual.

Imran with his son and mother

Imran is the owner of a two-storey building and in several partitions of the building, 15 tenants stay.

This morning most of them were pleasantly surprised to see posters pasted on the main gate of the building, which says, “My dear tenants, kindly do not pay the rent for March (2020) as I know these days are very crucial for every one of us. Stay safe and healthy.”

Most of the tenants of Laldi Manzil, Imran's house, belong to the lower-middle-class income bracket and the lockdown has turned out to be extremely heavy on their purses.

“I know all of them personally and I also know how they make their ends meet. No one is venturing out due to the lockdown and they cannot go to work. The financial crisis is bound to happen. So, I thought we should be by them in these times of crisis,” Imran said.

“Some of our tenants had, however, expressed their desire to pay their rents. I have told them to donate the money among the poor and needy,” he added.

The proprietor of Ladli Manzil has already informed his tenants that if the lockdown extends beyond March, they need not pay their rent for April.

One of the building's tenants Mohammed Javed said, “We have been staying at this building for over 35 years, since the time of Imran's grandfather. The decision taken by Imran today is a big relief and can be taken by a person with a real big heart. He knows our financial condition and exemption of paying a month's rent in huge relief for us.”

Really, strange times do make a difference in many lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 has ordered a total lockdown for three weeks to fight the coronavirus pandemic, one of the toughest such measures worldwide.