Bengaluru PGs still fail on basics

Food, hygiene and space emerge as chronic pain points

Bengaluru: With rents rising exponentially, the city’s paying guest (PG) accommodations have become vital for thousands who depend on them for affordable room and board. But the mushrooming of such establishments has also exposed a persistent problem: many PGs remain neglected by owners and managers, offering living conditions far from healthy or humane.

At the top of the long-standing complaints are food quality and hygiene — issues residents say have barely improved over the years. Tejas, who has lived in PGs for several years, considers himself comparatively lucky now. “Right now my PG is quite good for the price and the area. It’s in Jayanagar, where PGs can be quite expensive. This one is affordable, hygienic and the food is good,” he said.

But his experience across neighbourhoods such as Hebbal and BTM Layout has shown him the other side of the sector — poorly maintained buildings, inadequate facilities and a steady stream of complaints about food.

Ashish, another resident, says his current PG serves decent chapatis twice a day — something he prefers over rice — and uses fresh ingredients. “But in other PGs I’ve seen cooks use palm oil and ingredients that aren’t fresh,” he said.

For Musthaqim, who has spent four years in PG accommodations, the biggest recurring issue has been food quality. “I used to live in a PG where finding insects in the food was common. We used to get food from a cloud kitchen and by the time it arrived, it would be cold and hard,” he recalled.

Tejas also highlighted another widespread problem: inadequate washrooms. “I’ve seen PGs with one bathroom shared by around 10 people. It’s extremely unhygienic and unhealthy,” he said. Residents additionally flagged issues relating to spacing, cleanliness and poor ventilation.

Some PGs charge high rents but offer sub-par food and maintenance, while cheaper ones sometimes provide better-managed, well-spaced and ventilated rooms. The experience, they say, varies widely and has little to do with locality — though BTM Layout did stand out positively for Ashish.

Owners of PG establishments maintain that much depends on who runs the place and how much they care about upkeep. They also argue that residents must play their part by maintaining cleanliness and not creating disturbances, complaining that irresponsible tenants often make conditions worse for everyone.