Chandigarh and its satellite towns have become an educational hub, where students stay during the course of their studies. Besides educational institutions, there are information technology companies, which employ a large number of executives. But unfortunately, educational institutions, including Panjab University and colleges, have insufficient space to accommodate all students in hostels.
This has led to the need for paying guest (PG) accommodation. To supplement their income, several house owners are renting out their accommodation to paying guests. However, a number of these house owners tend to fleece students by charging exorbitantly. Apparently, they are not paying the charges due to the administration.
There are some greedy people who offer PG accommodation at higher rates to these helpless students. The raid one one such building at Sector 35 the other day shows how unscrupulous persons violate all building laws to accommodate five students per room to amass money. This is really an act to be condemned by all. But the students have no alternative.
The UT administration should keep this aspect in mind and build some ‘raen baseras’ (night shelters) or construct hostles for such students at nominal rates so that students coming from outside do not suffer for want of accommodation. Simply challaning owners who offer PG facilities to students in the city is not the final solution.
RK Kapoor, Chandigarh
The next step should be informing the police station of the sector with details of every PG, with credentials. This will help in tackling the social security problem in the city. Last but not least, it is better for the administration to use this situation to its advantage and provide more working men’s and women’s hostels.
Prashant S Kumar, Chandigarh
The government needs to plan for providing more hostels and accommodation for students at the earliest. Unlicensed accommodation should not be allowed at any cost and the administration needs to set more examples, like the recent sealing of a house at Sector 35.
SS Arora, Mohali
The PG accommodation owners advertise their accommodation in newspapers, with contact numbers. Students have to face a number of difficulties, such as water problems, overcrowding and high charges per bed. Owners should be penalised for violating building bylaws.
Mohali, July 31
Due to lack of co-ordination between the district administration, the police and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), the business of unregistered paying guest (PG) accommodation is thriving here.
The police and the GMADA estate office work in isolation while checking PG accommodation here. As a result, efforts by the estate officer to seek an undertaking from operators of 126 illegal PG houses to shut their activity or get it registered has failed to make an impact.
Explaining the flaw, sources said the police were carrying out the verification of occupants in PG accommodation, but failed to check the number of PGs.
As a result, the estate officer has no clue about the number of persons staying as PGs and had to rely on rent deed agreements produced by landlords.
In many cases, landlords make rent deed agreements to camouflage their illegal activity. Police officials stated that GMADA should write to the police to seek information.
In the past, the estate office had found 126 unregistered PGs. “To physically verify undertakings given by property owners, we are carrying out a survey of the town again,” said GMADA estate officer Balbir Singh.
This has led to the need for paying guest (PG) accommodation. To supplement their income, several house owners are renting out their accommodation to paying guests. However, a number of these house owners tend to fleece students by charging exorbitantly. Apparently, they are not paying the charges due to the administration.
The administration needs to get in place certain rules and be strict on the ground. There should be rules on registration with the administration, commercial electricity and water charges and other miscellaneous needs, owners being liable for law and order problem on their premises, reporting of credentials of tenants to the police by house owners, lists of all occupants being displayed at a prominent place and regular police visits.
SK Khosla, Chandigarh Night shelters
Since Chandigarh is an educational hub, with scores of academic and professional colleges, there are thousands of students who come from outside cities and states for studying here. So, they need some sort of accommodation. Not all students get the facilities of hostels as these are in limited number. Rents are too high. Thus, students seek PG facilities, which are also lower. There are some greedy people who offer PG accommodation at higher rates to these helpless students. The raid one one such building at Sector 35 the other day shows how unscrupulous persons violate all building laws to accommodate five students per room to amass money. This is really an act to be condemned by all. But the students have no alternative.
The UT administration should keep this aspect in mind and build some ‘raen baseras’ (night shelters) or construct hostles for such students at nominal rates so that students coming from outside do not suffer for want of accommodation. Simply challaning owners who offer PG facilities to students in the city is not the final solution.
RK Kapoor, Chandigarh
Register with MC
There are very simple ways to deal with the present PG problem in Chandigarh. With the kind of incomes generated from the concept, PG accommodation owners should own up some responsibilities too. All PG accommodation should be registered with the MC on payment of a an annual fee of Rs 24,000 per year. The MC should also earn as PG accommodation owners are charging upto Rs 4,000 per month per person. The next step should be informing the police station of the sector with details of every PG, with credentials. This will help in tackling the social security problem in the city. Last but not least, it is better for the administration to use this situation to its advantage and provide more working men’s and women’s hostels.
Prashant S Kumar, Chandigarh
Plan more hostels
Chandigarh has emerged a major hub of educational, commercial and IT activities. This growth needs supporting infrastructure, particularly in the field of accommodation, for which Chandigarh does not have adequate space. The concept of PG accommodation has had an impact, not merely in Chandigarh, but also in adjoining towns of Mohali and Panchkula. The government needs to plan for providing more hostels and accommodation for students at the earliest. Unlicensed accommodation should not be allowed at any cost and the administration needs to set more examples, like the recent sealing of a house at Sector 35.
SS Arora, Mohali
Owners in a spin
The Chandigarh administration has taken the right decision to seal PG accommodation in the city. The accommodation is given to students and working women. Thousands of paying guests are staying in the city without registration. One of the main conditions for registration of PG accommodation in residential areas should be that there is no building bylaw violations in the premises after grant of completion certificate. The PG accommodation owners advertise their accommodation in newspapers, with contact numbers. Students have to face a number of difficulties, such as water problems, overcrowding and high charges per bed. Owners should be penalised for violating building bylaws.
Owners are now caught in a web over providing details on their property to the authorities. They have breached building bylaws, constructed rooms and made big business. The authorities should make enquiries for running PG accommodation in residential premises. There is an immediate need to check the practice of the outsiders being charged huge amounts.
ML Garg, Chandigarh open house response'
The Chandigarh administration sealed a paying guest accommodation at Sector 35 past week. At least 40 paying guests were crowded in eight rooms on upper floors. While getting accommodation in the city has become an ordeal for outsiders, particularly students, paying guest accommodation owners are minting money by overcrowding their residential quarters. Write to openhouse@tribunemail.com about the problems faced in getting accommodation in the city and alternative solutions for providing residential quarters for the burgeoning population of students and professionals from outside the city. Due to lack of co-ordination between the district administration, the police and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), the business of unregistered paying guest (PG) accommodation is thriving here.
The police and the GMADA estate office work in isolation while checking PG accommodation here. As a result, efforts by the estate officer to seek an undertaking from operators of 126 illegal PG houses to shut their activity or get it registered has failed to make an impact.
Explaining the flaw, sources said the police were carrying out the verification of occupants in PG accommodation, but failed to check the number of PGs.
As a result, the estate officer has no clue about the number of persons staying as PGs and had to rely on rent deed agreements produced by landlords.
In many cases, landlords make rent deed agreements to camouflage their illegal activity. Police officials stated that GMADA should write to the police to seek information.
In the past, the estate office had found 126 unregistered PGs. “To physically verify undertakings given by property owners, we are carrying out a survey of the town again,” said GMADA estate officer Balbir Singh.
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