New policy may go easy on guest houses
ON ANVIL Draft removes cap on number of guest houses in a sector, defines violations, provides for action
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A guest house is not commercial activity ... It is an activity of human habitation, which is permissible under law. HEMANT GUPTA,
› president, Millennial City Guest House Association Regularising and licensing will not work. Why should we share our space and resources with those running businesses for profit.
DR AK NAGPAL,
› president, Sushant Lok RWA
We are going to take action against illegal establishments running commercial operation as all are not guest houses. RAJINDER SHARMA , district town planner (enforcement)
GURUGRAM: Haryana may soon announce a new guest house policy, which aims to make it easier to set up these establishments in the state, said officials familiar with the matter.
Officials privy to the policy making process said as per the new draft policy the number of guest houses being set up in a sector would not be capped. Also, the authorities have proposed to do away with the current restriction of allowing only two guest houses on a maximum of 2000 square metres of land in a sector.
Many residents across colonies are opposed to such commercial establishments mushrooming in their neighbourhood. Officials, however, said they are waiting for the new policy, which will ease the norms for opening a guest house but will also define violations and provide for strict action against them.
“A meeting to discuss the fresh guest house policy was held recently and various proposals were discussed. The department of town and country planning (DTCP) is formulating it. It will be submitted to the government for approval,” said Anand Mohan Sharan, principal secretary, urban local bodies (ULB).
According to the draft policy, the minimum plot size for setting up a guest house is likely to be reduced from 1,000 square metres to 500 square metres. However, the floor area ratio (FAR) allowed to construct the guest house may remain at 150.
“There will be no change in accessibility norms. One will only be able to set up a guest house on a sector road, a service road, or a road not less than 18 metres wide,” said a ULB official.
Officials said the policy, which will have the provision for checking growth of illegal guest houses, is being revised to meet the growing demand for such facilities. “There was a need for norms to set up guest houses in Haryana as the demand for such accommodations is very high due to the influx of workers from other states. The present norms do not take into account the ground situation and, therefore, a new policy is being framed. The new norms will not lead to proliferation in number of guest houses,” said a DTCP official.
Officials of the ULB department and DTCP are preparing the draft after detailed study of norms and policies in Noida and Delhi, they added. The draft also envisages strict action against establishments, which will not conform to proposed norms.
The ULB department initiated the process for drafting a new guest house policy. “Six months ago, the ULB director sought information on existing guest houses and MCG submitted it. A new policy is expected soon. It will streamline operation of these establishments,” MCG chief Yashpal Yadav said.
According to guest house operators, there are around 3,000 PG accommodations and guest houses in Gurugram, and most of these are in residential areas.
However, the Haryana urban development authority, in reply to an RTI application in 2017, maintained that there were 300 illegal guest houses in the city. Huda had identified 200 such facilities in jurisdiction of estate officer-2 and 100 were found in jurisdiction of estate office-1.
In anticipation of the new policy, the DTCP, enforcement, is waiting before it acts against guest houses as a new survey will be required in light of the changed norms. “We are going to take action against illegal establishments running commercial operation as all are not guest houses,” said Rajinder Sharma, DTP, enforcement. The department had issued 160 notices to owners of such commercial establishments in DLF Phase-2 alone earlier this month.
“Allowing commercial activities in a residential area would violate the sanctity of peoples’ space. There would be lot of pressure on public space, and amenities. It would also have implications on safety of residents”, said Bhawani Shankar Tripathy, general secretary, RWA, Sector 23A.