Post-Mohali murder,UT wakes up to need for defining PG norms

Interestingly,as per the estimates of the UT Estate Office,there are 700 paying guests accommodations in the city,out of which less than a dozen are registered.

Six months ago,the UT Finance Department (FD) had asked the UT Estate Office to define a PG. That too after the Estate Officer had sent a letter to FD,seeking clarity on certain pending issues,including the exact definition of a paying guest accommodation.

Sources said UT EO officials were of the opinion that a paying guest accommodation was the one where food was served. However,with the changing needs of the students,working women,who comprise most of the PGs in the city,many opt for outside food,thus requiring just the accommodation.

Speaking with Chandigarh Newsline,UT Finance Secretary V K Singh said,“PG accommodation is a need of students in the city since it is an educational hub. We also cannot drive the students out of the city like this. Indeed,it is a very tricky subject but we are trying our best to figure out a way so that we do not put an end to this facility. Of course,we are coming with a number of hostels in the city for both girls and boys so that they do not have to stay out. But how many students can even hostels accommodate? So we are treading the path carefully so as to maintain balance between the facility as well as our guidelines.”

While the task of defining a PG has perplexed the officials for almost two years,it has also tied their hands for taking action against 300 violators of building byelaws in the city who made structural changes. These violators were initially served notices for violations but no action could be taken owing to the lack of clear guidelines on defining a PG accommodation.

While the people who have been issued notices argue that they were not running PGs and had rented out their premises,a senior UT official says one of the biggest hurdles in defining a PG is that a lot of owners tend to produce rent deeds when they are confronted for not having registered a PG accommodation.