Traders in Bengaluru want Karnataka government to step in and regulate rent for lockdown months

They claim landlords are demanding payment of rent in full even though shops could not open for business

In the two months since most commercial establishments shut shop due to lockdown restrictions imposed by the Karnataka government to control the spread of the second wave of COVID-19, business came to a standstill, but not rent. Faced by huge losses and insistence by landlords on payment of rent in full even during the lockdown months, many proprietors had no choice but to wind up their businesses and vacate the premises. Even as the city prepares for further easing of restrictions from Monday, many establishments may not re-open for business. In the face of bleak prospects, traders want the Karnataka government to step in, broker a formula between tenants and landlords, and regulate rent. Many have called for intervention on the lines of what the government did to keep a check on private school fees last year during the first wave of COVID-19.