Hamirpur admn swings into action to regulate PGs

Hamirpur, August 31

The recent incident of death of a student after allegedly falling from the third floor of a paying guest (PG) accommodation here has raised serious concerns about the safety and security provisions in PGs.

As per an estimate, over 5,000 students stay in PG units in town and surrounding areas.

The government departments, including Police, Electricity, Jal Shakti, Civil Supplies and Town & Country Planning, were reportedly roped in by Deputy Commissioner Amarjit Singh to ensure proper operations in the PG accommodations. He had directed the departments to check facilities, cleanliness and catering arrangements made for inmates in the PG accommodations.

Many owners of such accommodations were minting money by using domestic power connection for commercial activity. The death of the student had also exposed mismanagement, besides poor safety measures and hooliganism in some PG units.

MC Executive officer Ajmer Singh Thakur said 33 PGs had been identified in the town so far. The MC would soon come up with regulations to register the PGs and ensure that required facilities were available in these accommodations, he added.

DC Amarjit Singh said a meeting to check the facilities being provided in the PG accommodations was convened and the departments concerned had been directed to submit a report on the same.