Parsi Punchayet opens door to tenancy for 1,900 families

The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) approved a proposal on June 10 to allow residents on leave-and-licence agreements to convert to tenancy under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act.

The decision affects nearly 1,900 Parsi-Zoroastrian families, about 40% of BPP's housing stock across 22 baugs in Mumbai.

BPP has received applications from 70 licensees so far.

Before 1973, most BPP occupants were tenants; the leave-and-licence system was introduced after the Bombay Rent Act amendment in 1975.

BPP chairperson Viraf Mehta cited potential misuse of the leave-and-licence system, including an instance where a widowed woman with three children was threatened with eviction based on neighbours' complaints.