Mumbai: At a time the lockdown has stirred up countless lives, a 29-year-old architect, who was staying as a paying guest at Versova, was compelled to move out of the house after she was unable to pay rent for the month of March.
Shirin Hasan, who moved out on April 9, thinking that she will go to her uncle's place in Panvel when the lockdown is lifted on April 15, is now stuck in a hotel, which is eating into her soon-to be exhausted funds.
Hasan, an architect, who recently moved to Mumbai, was staying as a paying guest in Andheri (W) since March 1. Hasan said the decision to stay as a paying guest was a temporary arrangement as she had a few interviews lined up for job opportunities.
However, with COVID-19 wreaking havoc across the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a country wide lockdown soon after observing the Janata Curfew on March 22.
"One thing led to another and I was unable to find a job or collect payments for my projects, which is why I could not pay rent for the month of March.
I tried to reason with my landlady about letting me stay until the lockdown is lifted and I would clear all the dues before vacating the place," said Hasan. However, her pleas fell on deaf ears.
The hapless architect approached Versova Police, who instructed the landlady to give her some latitude in the extraordinary situation and things could be sorted out once the pandemic blows over, but to no avail.
The landlady allegedly threatened Hasan and threw her clothes in a bid to eject her out of the house, due to her inability to pay the rent. Hasan said, when she approached Versova Police again, a female constable scolded her for involving cops in a domestic matter.
Even as the architect vacated the apartment, she had nowhere to go with lockdown in place, compelling her to run from pillar to post in search of a hotel. After several rejections at hotels, she found solace in a Jogeshwari-based hotel, which charges Rs 2,000 per day.
Hasan, who suffers from migraine and asthma, then approached Amboli Police, seeking permission to travel to her uncle's home in Panvel as she could not stay alone in a hotel, citing security and health concerns.
She was, however, turned away as Mumbai police do not have the authority to issue an emergency pass to anybody, except essential service providers, leaving Hasan in a lurch.
When FPJ contacted a senior police official, he said that local police are intervening in the matter and trying to contact Hasan as well as local authorities in Panvel to ensure that the woman reaches her uncle's place safely. "We are doing all that we can in this matter and would ensure the woman is safe," said the official.
