Illegal guesthouses prove to be major problem in Ggn

Gurugram: Guest houses that are not registered with authorities continue to be a major problem in the city. With a large number of visitors frequenting Gurugram daily, a large number of guest houses and PGs have come up in the city over the years. An RTI reply last year revealed that there are more than two hundred guest houses that are operating illegally in the city. There are supposed to be many more guest houses that are believed to be functioning illegally as the list of illegal guesthouses mentioned in the RTI were in the areas under the jurisdiction of only HUDA.

With MCG having not mentioned the number of illegal guest houses functioning in its areas, the number of illegal guest houses is only expected to be much larger than the present list. Earlier in the past where owners were not registering their guest houses in order to not pay property taxes now the illegal guest houses have become a major hub for carrying out criminal activities.

Most of the illegal sex racket busted by Gurugram Police have been done from the illegal guest houses. In addition to the sex racket functioning in these premises, there have also been also arrest in the past of the drug peddlers from such properties. While activists claim of the lackadaisical attitude of the public authorities towards curbing these illegal guest houses, officials at major public agencies mention that action is being taken against such illegal guest houses.

Being in high demand these guest houses are also resulting in losses to the state exchequer. High demand has resulted in most of the houses being converted into PGs or guest houses. However, as these buildings are not registered legally most of the buildings do not get basic facilities like water and power from the public agencies.