What is a blessing to one may turn out to be a curse for another and this is aptly reflected in Guntur.
With government staff shifting to Amaravati from Hyderabad in large numbers, the demand for housing has skyrocketed. And unfortunately, this has affected the people who are already living in rented accommodations in Guntur, especially the middle-class.
Overnight, the house-owners are jacking up the rents asking the tenants to comply or leave. The convention generally is for a 10 percent hike in rents every two years but the arrival of the government staff has made house-owners trying to cash in on the demand. And they have their reasons too.
Government employees are getting 30% of their salaries as HRA. So, they can well afford it, is the logic of the house-owners.
A 2 bed-room house normally rented at Rs 6000 per month is now going at Rs 8000 overnight. Who can be blamed? Everyone has his own tale of misery, thanks to the bifurcation.
