B'luru has more illegal PGs than authorised ones, BBMP data reveals

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: After relaxing guidelines for Paying Guests (PGs) in Bengaluru last month, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has identified 2,320 PGs operating without a business license, as of Thursday. A new set of guidelines was released in the wake of the brutal stabbing of a student who resided in a PG in Koramangala this July. However, PG owners have been put in a bind due to rigid regulations. BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Suralkar Vikas Kishore announced a relaxed set of guidelines.

Despite being notified about the non-compliance, PGs continue to operate without adhering to the guidelines. Out of 4,513 PGs, only 2,193 are operating with a business license. The Mahadevapura zone, notorious for hosting illegal accommodations, has 527 illegal PGs, of which 498 have not complied with the new guidelines. Nine accommodations have been sealed, with notices issued to all 527 of them so far. However, residents in the area feel that the BBMP’s enumeration is too low. The East zone tops the list for illegal PGs, with 537 operating without a business license, while only 185 comply with the prescribed guidelines. Among the PGs operating with a license, 615 do not follow the guidelines.

21 PGs slammed shut: Despite repeated notices, several PGs were sealed on Thursday by health officials of the BBMP: four each in Dasarahalli and South Zone, three in Yelahanka, and nine in Mahadevapura zones were closed.