Spare a thought for those who live in PGs

Securing cheap and comfortable accommodation is not always easy in a fast growing city like Bengaluru, which sees a high influx of people from other states in search of education and employment. So it is no surprise that thousands of paying guest facilities have sprung up across Bengaluru where those arriving from outside reside. On Tuesday, the Bengaluru East City Corporation sealed 14 paying guest facilities for violating norms.

The PG facilities were allegedly conducting commercial or non-residential activities in residential areas with out complying with conditions prescribed under the Greater Bengaluru Authority Act 2024. The violation of residential area norms isn’t the only problem plaguing the many PGs in the city.

There are many other concerns. They include the nagging doubt if the PGs are safe enough for residence and have enough safeguards to ensure people do not have to fear for their lives and the safety of their belongings. Some time ago, there was this horrifying incident in which a man entered a PG and stabbed a woman to death over an affair, sending shock waves through the city.

Such incidents of trespass into PGs seem quite common and this incident made many PGs ramp up security measures and make sure no stranger had access to their premises. Most PGs charge hefty amounts for stay, food and other conveniences including laundry and maintenance costs and so there is no reason why they should not be made to pay more taxes than what the ordinary citizen in Bengaluru coughs out.

This will also help the cash strapped civic bodies augment their revenue and improve infrastructure facilities in their domain including roads, drainage, power and water supply. People from, other cities and states, who arrive in Bengaluru, often find themselves at the mercy of the PG owners who insist on huge advance and also a high rent.

For the tenant however, a PG is still the best option, as renting a flat or a single bedroom house in the IT City often falls beyond their means considering the astronomical levels to which rents have climbed in recent decades. Is there a grievance redressal mechanism in place for those who feel that they are being exploited by the PG owners and have no other recourse but to complain? Such a mechanism for those who stay in PGs is an urgent need and this will also have to ensure that the confidentiality of the complainant is maintained and he or she does not face any kind of harassment.

Such grievances could also be related to unusually high rents, food quality and the standard of other services provided by the PG owner. The PG ‘sector’ has obviously become something like an industry in Bengaluru, which all the more necessitates the need for regulation.

The people who reside in these facilities are those who serve Bengaluru in the best way possible, running its tech and IT centres, building its infrastructure and serving its cosmopolitan populace. They deserve to be treated in the best manner possible for they are nothing less than our ‘guests’ as the name of the places where they reside suggests.

The moot question is whether enough thought has been given to the welfare of these thousands of people who love and serve Bengaluru as much as we do.