Can’t tar all with same brush!

Deepti Verma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 22

New to the city and looking for an accommodation? Have no reference? Don’t worry, for you will encounter many guides who will suggest one of the thousands of paying guest accommodations that have come up in the city in the recent past. As the number of students and working professionals from outside the city is rising by the day, so is the number of persons offering them a place to stay. As the competition is tough, a few pay attention to the legal process.

Apart from affordability and privacy, safety is now the prime concern for many. But, safety from fire mishaps is last on the priority list of landlords. This was revealed after residents of Sector 32 woke up to the blaring sirens of fire tenders late on Saturday evening after a double-storeyed building housing 36 girls went up in flames. Three have reportedly died and two others seriously injured. Reason: Fire safety violations. Even as the police are yet to ascertain the cause of fire, it is learnt that one of the girls was charging her laptop when its adapter caught fire.

Services not up to the mark

“The areas around Panjab University and local colleges are sprinkled with PG and hostel facilities, but the services are not up to the mark. Owing to the proximity to the educational institutions, they charge exorbitant rent and try to accommodate as many occupants as possible, leading to space crunch. Four persons are packed into a room meant for two. This attitude gives rise to issues of hygiene and privacy. But we can’t do anything as the place is closer to our college,” says Kajal Arora, a student of Government College for Girls who stays as a PG in Sector 15.

On being asked if they check the place for safety and security before agreeing to stay, Sakshi Sehgal, another student of a college in Sector 11, says: “Do we get a chance? The number of occupants is rising and so is the rent. We try to look for a place decent enough to stay with ‘reasonable’ rent. We know we are being fleeced, but we just try to adjust. We are here for just two-three years.”

Ankit Bansal, a PU student, says: “Forget about fire safety equipment, we find it hard to find a place to stay at the first place. Most of the PGs around prefer girls as tenants. They say girls are more accommodating and hygienic but nobody talks about their safety. The landlords grill you more than an interviewer before letting you stay in their house.”

At a time when all are complaining about the dearth of good PGs in the city, there are many who put the comfort of tenants first. “Though our landlady charges a little more than what others do in this sector, our place is decent enough. She doesn’t allow more than two girls in a room. The maid also cleans the rooms and washrooms daily,” says Kanika, who stays in Sector 16.

“My sister and I work on night shifts and finding a PG where late-night entry is allowed is no mean task. Our uncle especially got a lock drilled into the main door so that we face no trouble. We have been staying here for the past six years now,” says Meenu Verma, who stays in Sector 15.

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