BENGALURU: Owners of paying guest accommodations in the city are bracing to comply with the recent guidelines issued by BBMP and police even as they hope the civic body will change some of the norms against which they have expressed reservations.
To create awareness in the fraternity about the guidelines, PG Owners‘ Association has decided to hold a meeting on Oct 15 at Vijayanagar. At the same time, the association is hoping BBMP will announce revised guidelines at the meeting. BBMP sources said they will release the changed guidelines soon.
The guidelines were issued after a man walked into a PG accommodation in Koramangala and killed his estranged girlfriend in July.
The association is particularly against the norm that PGs should earmark 70 sqft of area per inmate and want a simplified licensing procedure.
Association president DT Arun Kumar said it will hold an awareness meeting and expected owners of over 2,500 PGs to participate. BBMP special commissioner (health) Suralkar Vikas Kishor will be present with other civic officials.
“We requested the Palike to simplify some rules in favour of PG owners. The civic body has agreed and we expect it to issue revised guidelines at the meeting,” said Kumar.
“There are 15,000 to 20,000 PGs in the city, and only about 2,500 have licences. BBMP officials issue guidelines whenever some untoward incidents take place and ask us to implement them. These 2,500 licensed PGs are already following norms issued by BBMP and police. So, we have requested the Palike not to harass them,” he said.
Kumar further claimed many PGs applied for licences from BBMP but jurisdictional officials rejected them citing technical reasons, including their location in residential areas and on roads lesser than 30 feet wide. BBMP should simplify these issues since occupants prefer PGs located in residential areas, he added.
The association also sought for relaxation of the 90-day retention period mandated for CCTV footage. The association informed BBMP that PGs have taken necessary fire-safety measures and don’t need to get no-objection certificates from Fire and Emergency Services.
The association said it will comply with norms like food certification, maintaining hygiene and providing foolproof security cover.
