GURUGRAM: Hundreds of illegal guesthouses continue to operate across the city. Occupying around 145 acres of land in prime sectors of the city, around 1,400 illegal guesthouses are doing big business round the year.
The enforcement wing of department of town and country planning (DTCP) has conducted surveys, served notices and sealed guesthouses running in violation of the norms, but they continue to operate by either removing the seals illegally or obtaining a stay from court, officials said.
According to state policy, a guesthouse can be constructed on plots with a minimum size of 500 square yards, which are situated along a 24-metre-wide road or a sector road with a service lane. Also, there is an area capping of 1.25 acres per sector for guesthouses.
The last survey conducted by DTCP in July this year revealed that a total of 2,080 guesthouses, both legal and unauthorised, are operating within the city limits. During the survey and examination of records, it was found that the occupancy level of these guesthouses is almost 90% round the year. But despite being illegal, these guesthouses in residential areas are functioning as an alternative facility to various medical, IT companies and industries in the city.
The data obtained from the survey also hinted that there is a demand for a huge number of rooms for various purposes, including the influx of foreigners from different countries for medical tourism.
A senior official from the enforcement wing said DTCP has time and again appealed to guesthouse owners to submit the required documents and apply for permission if their premises fulfil the provisions as mentioned in the new policy.
“Nearly 70% of guesthouses are running illegally in violation of the provisions of the guesthouse policy of the state government. This office has already initiated the necessary action against illegal guesthouses and many of them have obtained status quo/stay on the property from court,” the official said.
Around two years ago, in October 2020, the department had announced that as many as 1,000 guesthouses operating illegally in the city would be sealed, but it never happened.
Illegal accommodations started mushrooming soon after the government issued bed and breakfast (B&B) licences during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The lacklustre attitude of the enforcement agencies, be it HSVP or MCG, further worsened the situation. According to sources, approximately 100 licences were given out under the B&B scheme in Gurgaon, but many owners started running full-fledged guest houses under the same licence.
