House rentals shoot through the roof

Patancheru: There is a high demand for rented houses in the city. In most cases, the rent takes half of the salary, especially for workers who come from UP, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam and other states for working in industrial areas on the outskirts, such as Patancheru, RC Puram, BHEL, Tellapur, Kollur, Ameenpur, Muthangi and Isnapur.

With real-estate trade picking up fast in these industrial areas, many residents have stopped doing agriculture, sold their lands, built multi-storey buildings and started living on rents. In such a scenario, it has become difficult to secure houses on rent for workers, as they have to shell out three months rent as advance.

In areas like Patancheru and Ramachandrapuram, there is wide gap in salaries earned by software personnel, whose income runs into lakh of rupees, and workers, who survive on hand-to-mouth existence. The house owners show interest in letting out their houses only to those who pay high rents. A tenant has to pay a minimum of Rs 6,000 as rent to get a house, and it is raised every year.

Rented houses are beyond the reach of the commoners. Even middle class is finding it difficult to get rented accommodation, that too, after putting in enormous efforts going round streets in search of suitable houses.

Patancheru, which has come to be known as mini-India, people from all corners of the country come to earn their livelihood. Most outsiders here survive on inadequate salaries. Finding rental accommodation is proving to be difficult, even an abode with minimum facilities. It is a problem even for middle classes. The minimum rent here is Rs 7,000.

The amount could go up to Rs10, 000 if one is looking for a reasonably decent house. In Patancheru industrial area most residents are workmen and middle classes. Most of them spend half of their earnings on rents. They are barely able to make their both ends meet, having to spend on feeding family members and meeting expenditure on children's education.

Nayudu, a book stall owner, told The Hans India that he has to toil to find a house, as rents in Patancheru have gone up steeply. Govindamma, a housewife, said that half of the family income is being spent on rent. Mohd Ismail of Shantinagar said bachelors find it tough to secure accommodation. "Although the house lack minimum amenities, the rents are hitting the sky," he said. Labour leader K Rajayya said that houses for workers should be constructed in industrial areas. The government should make efforts to control rents, he said.

Chandrayya, an industrial worker, said, "Taking rental accommodation at a far off place is not worthwhile, as travel expenses are high. At the same time, It is difficult to locate accommodation near the place of work because one can't afford the rent."

By Abdul Basith