A terse announcement from Delhi in the matter of a former local/state issue proclaims the end of all controls on rents levied on private dwellings. The ruling takes effect twenty four months from april. There was no prior debate, and little clamour since. One can expect an epoch making change in the lives of coastal people who flocked to live in urban areas like Bombay. Gone will be thirty rupee rents that had not been raised in fifty years. A lease that lasts only eleven months will be the owner's sole obligation, with rents ruled by the market. One can expect to see every Goan club in Bombay shuttered. I imagine Mallya, as well as back yard brewers can anticipate a significant drop in sales. My own rent savings used to travel to distilleries in Dundee. eric.
