Building violations galore, authorities turn blind eye

Sandeep Rana

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 20

Though fire safety and building violations are going on in various PG accommodations in the city, the Fire Department and the Estate Office remain a mute spectator to these.

An official in the Estate Office said they had only one PG registered even as there were a large number of commercial places in the city. Notices have been served to 100 PGs and their cases are pending in courts. Also, not even a single PG has obtained NOC from the Fire Department.

MC’s Additional Commissioner Anil Kumar Garg said, “Not even a single PG has got a fire safety NOC from us. We have not been provided any data by the Estate Office as to how many PGs are registered.”

Fire officials said if they were given the data of commercial places, they would serve notice to the PGs, asking them to adhere to the fire safety norms.

Violations at the PG

At the Sector 32-D PG where the tragic fire incident took place today, a number of violations, including tin sheds, cabins in rooms, inappropriate false ceilings and hindrances at entry-exit, were detected by the firemen.

There were around 12 rooms where beds were placed in a very congested manner, leaving little space to walk around. Also, there were three rooms with attached toilet on the terrace.

Norms for pg registration

• Owner of the house or members of the family must be residing in the house
• Each PG must get 50 sq ft space. One washroom for not more than five persons
• Owner must give undertaking to maintain peace, harmony and discipline in the area
• Number of kitchens as per the approved building plan
• An undertaking to maintain good standards of hygiene

Why the owners avoid it

Once a house is registered as a PG accommodation, the power and water charges are levied at commercial rates, which are very high than the rates being charged from residential households. Many PG owners sign a tenant agreement with their paying guests to avoid registration.

How to register

The owner has to fill a registration form and submit it with the Estate Office with required documents. An official inspects the site for registration. After getting permission from the Estate Office, the accommodation owner must maintain a register to keep a record of the PGs, their permanent address, photo and identity proofs, etc. A copy of the PG’s photo and I-card also needs to be provided to the police for verification.