And expressing full support to the tenants' cause in Amchi Mumbai is a noted tenant activist from Big Apple. Brad Lander, president of The Association of Neighbourhood and Housing Development, a conglomeration of tenants organisations in New York, believes that Mumbai needs a strong rent law as much as New York does.

``Though the tenants' problem is at once similar and yet different in the two cities, one thing is certain - rent laws cannot be scrapped,'' said the 30-year-old activist from Brooklyn while speaking to Express Newsline today.

Lander is in India for a brief holiday and yet finds time to discuss and exchange ideas with the Action Committee for Protection of Tenants' Rights in the city. He will addressa large gathering of tenants at Parel's Shirodkar Hall tomorrow evening. Giving a brief account of the rent policy in New York city, Lander said: ``We actually have a two-tier rent structure. Of the three million housing units in New York city, two million are governed by rent laws - 1.1 million houses come under the Rent Stabilisation Law, while over 70,000 others fall under the Rent Control Law. Rent Stabilisation Law was introduced in 1974 when over 4 lakh families were displaced in three years after landlords convinced the government to de-control vacant houses in 1971.''

The Rent Control Law, he said, first came into force in 1947 when the World War-II soldiers returned and many began moving to New York. There was no place for housing and government had to intervene to provide affordable stock to the middle and low-income groups. However, Lander added, each year in New York rents are increased marginally as per the recommendations of the New York city Rent Guideline Board. Besides, the Rent Act comesup for renewal every four years. In the last few years, Lander said, the hike in rent has been about two per cent in New York. Currently rent for a 1,000 sq ft house in New York ranges between $ 100 to $ 400.

Compare this situation with Mumbai. Rents in most old buildings here have been frozen at 1940 levels. An interim hike of five per cent in rents was introduced in March 1998 by the state. The new bill proposes a similar hike of five per cent each successive year. But there ends any similarity.

In New York, it is a must for landlords to meet the basic requirements of maintenance. The rent is hiked subject to landlord's ability to maintain a flat's ``habitability'' which includes good plumbing, proper cross ventilation and adequate water and electricity supply. Are the landlords in Mumbai listening? Admitting that Mumbai's problem was more complicated than what they faced back home, Lander suggested that having a planning board to carefully monitor the rental market was the need of the hour inMumbai.

``You have to determine which building to hand over to tenants on ownership. It has worked well with us.''