Patna, June 23: Charging excessive rent from tenants would no longer be as easy. The urban development department is in the final stages of framing rental rules that would regulate rent-related rules in the cities of the state.

“We are in the final stages of framing rental rules, which would regulate rent-related practices in cities. These rules are aimed at rationalisation of rent and tax structures. After the enactment of these rules, both landlords and tenants will be bound to follow a fixed rent structure. The current rent structures are highly stale as these are based on the rates of 1992- 93,” said Shashi Shekhar Sharma, principal secretary of state urban development department.

Sources said the rental rules would make provisions for a compulsory agreement for rental property. The rents would be fixed by the Rent Control Act and linked with Cost Inflation Index. Besides, a regulatory authority would be constituted, which would handle all matters related to rental rules.

The department is also working on many other reforms to improvise institutional, legal and structural framework of urban local bodies. Such reforms range from apartment rules, slum policy, vendors act, commercial mobile tower rules, computerisation and manpower enhancement of all the local bodies.

Besides, the department is also planning public sector intervention by the housing board. The housing board would work on projects for housing all sections of people. It is also planning to enter commercial projects.

“Local bodies are supposed to be self-sufficient. They are supposed to take care of their expenses from the different sources of revenue that they have. However, it was observed that either because of lack of legal or institutional framework, the local bodies are not able to either sustain them or even discharge their duties. The proposed legal framework, including the amendment to Bihar Apartment Ownership Act along with proposed apartment rules would fill the loopholes of existing act and protect the rights of both citizens as well as commercial parties. These would also regulate mushrooming of apartments. Other proposed measures would ensure reform, restructure and capacity building of local bodies right from the level gram panchayats to municipal corporations,” said Sharma.

Under the enhancement of manpower, the department is putting officers on permanent positions in all 28 urban local bodies. “It was a regular issue that officers of any random department are deputed in the bodies and they are also frequently transferred. However, we are making sure that officers are deputed on a permanent basis, so that they are well aware of prevailing practices,” Sharma said, adding that 30 officers were deputed recently on a permanent basis.