The paying guest accommodation menace in Chandigarh is growing day by day due to which there are many PG’s running illegally in the city. Last week itself, a case of CCTV camera in girls PG in Sector 16 came to light. The UT estate office is taking things under its control now. Now, it has issued notices to 124 house owners for running the paying guest facilities illegally. The action is in response to the complaint submitted by some residents at the DC’s office.
The house owners have been given a fortnight to answer to the notice sent by the UT administration, failing to which a strict action will be taken against the offenders.
Minting money out of PG Business
There is an advantage which the house owners take out of students by accommodation 3 to 4 students in a single room as the educational institutions in the city have only limited number of seats and every student cannot be accommodated in the hostels. Hence, the students have only one option left which is to look for PG accommodations as the residential houses charge high rent, which cannot be afforded by most of the students.
However, the estate office records show that only 20 PGs have been registered in the city while rest of them located in southern sectors: 21, 22, 33, 34, 35, 43 and 44 are illegal.
Guidelines to operate PG Accommodations
The guidelines set by the UT Estate office clearly state that a PG facility can operate only in a house with an area of at least 7.5 marla. It is compulsory to get it registered and there after pay commercial rates for water and electricity. Despite of that many PGs are running even in low-income houses in the city.
News & Image Source: Hindustan Times
Also read: Shocking! PG Girls Find CCTV Camera In PG Washroom in Sector 16
