Pune News : Elderly couple from Bibvewadi goes on strike against tenant to claim possession of own house
Pune: An elderly couple has staged a strike to draw attention to their plight as landlords who have been struggling to regain possession of their bungalow from a non-paying tenant.
Dr. Avinash Phatak, 72, and his wife Madhuri Phatak, 67, are staging the fast in front of their Bibvewadi house, which they had leased to Atish Jadhav five years ago to operate a nursery school.
The couple has been experiencing financial distress due to Jadhav’s refusal to pay rent for three and a half years, in violation of their tenancy agreement, which stipulated that the tenant must vacate the property if rent is not paid for three consecutive months. Jadhav has been avoiding meetings and legal proceedings, prompting the couple to approach the court to resolve the matter. However, the legal process has been slow, and Jadhav’s absence from court hearings has further complicated matters.
Speaking about this, Dr. Avinash Phatak, 72 year old, said, “Initially, he paid regular rent for a year. However, he did not pay the rent repeatedly thereafter. As a result, we went to court and the proceedings are taking place. Although the rent is not given we have to pay the property tax. In old age, we have zero income and huge expenses when this is the only source of income.”
He further said, “All this has put us in financial straits. While we have a rightful house, we have to live on rent or at our daughter’s house. All this has put a lot of stress on both of us.”
Madhuri Phatak, 67 year old, said, “According to the agreement if after rent is not paid for two consecutive months then the agreement gets canceled. We waited for long to get the rent but he didn’t paid. We had also sent him the notice via advocate but he didn’t responded. Then we filed a court case and he doesn’t remain present for court hearings. He has not paid the rent but we are still paying the commercial taxes. And now he is nothing give the house back and not even giving us the rent.”
