BBMP mulls relaxing rules to boost registration of PGs

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is reviewing its registration rules for paying guest (PG) accommodations in the city and is considering relaxing some of the requirements to encourage more owners to comply.

The civic body is resorting to the review since a mere 2,500 PG accommodations in the city have registered with the Palike, although industry experts put their numbers at 10,000.

Reluctance of PG owners to register with the BBMP poses significant safety risks for their occupants as the ones that fail to register tend to compromise on security standards.

Speaking to DH, Suralkar Vikas Kishore, BBMP Special Commissioner for Health, confirmed that PG owners had appealed to the civic body to ease certain rules, and their requests were under serious consideration.

"It's crucial to get all PGs registered with the BBMP. Our officers are working on this, and we have received several suggestions from the PG Owners’ Association. Some norms may need to be relaxed, and we will reach a final decision soon,” he said.

One specific regulation that is under scrutiny is the requirement for space per resident, which the recent BBMP rules put at 70 sqft. PG owners argue that this would be highly impractical.

“We already have many residents, and reducing their number to comply with this rule would increase operating costs, which would burden residents, many of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Sukhi Seo, secretary of the Bengaluru PG Owners’ Association. 

The association has urged the BBMP to follow the same regulation for space used in measuring government hostels, where a student typically has 30 to 35 sqft of space.

Kishore acknowledged their point, saying, “We may need to apply the same standards to PGs, but we will study the situation carefully before making a decision.”

In addition to the space requirements, PG owners have also asked the BBMP to simplify the licence application process and reduce the mandatory CCTV footage storage period from 90 days to 30 days.

Sources indicate that a decision on relaxing these norms will be made soon.