MHA orders landlords not to collect rent for a month from migrants, labourers

Hyderabad: The Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered all the landlords not to collect rent for a month from workers, especially migrants, living in their rented accommodations, in the light of the Corona virus pandemic.

If a landlord is found forcing students or labourers to vacate premises, they will be liable for action, the ministry informed. The order also mentioned the violation of lockdown in many parts of the country with a large number of migrants trying to get back to their hometown on foot.

To effectively implement the lockdown measures and mitigate the hardships of the migrant workers, the national executive committee directed the governments of all states and union territories to take necessary steps under Section 10(2)(I) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

As part of the additional measure, the states and the Union Territories should ensure adequate arrangements for temporary shelters and provisions such as food for the poor and the needy, including migrant labourers stranded in various states.

Migrants who travelled to reach their homes must be kept under quarantine at the nearest shelter for 14 days for a thorough screening, as per the standard health protocol. All employers from all sectors should pay wages of their workers on the due date without any deduction for the period their establishments are under closure during the lockdown.