representative image Bengaluru: multiple paying guest Housing (PG) owners across the city say it is challenging for them to operate the facilities under the new bbmp guidelinesAnd want some discount.
Their three major concerns include the need to store CCTV footage for 90 days instead of 30, as was previously mandated by the police department; Providing 70 square feet of space per inmate; mandatory deployment Security personnelThey say that this will cost them more and many PG managements will not be able to afford it.
The new guidelines were announced after a man entered a PG facility in Koramangala in July this year and killed a female inmate.
PG owner Given their current earnings, it will be extremely difficult to comply with the new guidelines. He says that to store 90 days of data, at least 8 terabytes of storage is required, which will cost Rs 50,000 monthly.
Arjun BM, a PG owner in Kundalahalli, said, “Our hostel can accommodate 80 people and we charge Rs 6,000-7,000 for each inmate. After all our expenses, we are left with at least Rs 20,000 every month But that too if we follow the new norms, how will we manage,” he said, adding that with the new rules, PG owners will have to pay basic charges like WiFi, electricity and three meals a day. May not be able to afford the facilities.
Bhaskar Reddy, PG owner and president of PG Owners Welfare Association (Whitefield and Nagavara Provisions), said, “We understand this BBMP Wants to have dedicated personnel for security, but we have other options for this like CCTV surveillance and biometric entry. Many PG accommodations in the city are small, housing less than 100 people and maintained by a family. For people who barely earn an income, these expenses will be a huge burden. Most owners say they cannot afford CCTV footage and security personnel.”
Bhaskar said they are already providing about 60 square feet of space per inmate. “If we have to provide 70 square feet of space per person, we will have to reduce the number of people from four to two or three, which is again a loss for PG owners.”
BBMP’s action on unregistered PGs has shocked many people. One such owner in Marathahalli said, “Last time when the authorities came and closed the PG for a day, the inmates had to struggle a lot. A lot of pressure was put on us because the building owners and students wanted their money back “We lost a lot of customers at that time, and many people were hesitant to choose our accommodation afterward.”
“Our request to the authorities is to give us at least 30 days’ time as many people want to register their PGs to get the license,” said Arun Kumar, president of PG Owners Welfare Association.
