Rampant Violation of Rules In Guwahati Private Hostels And Commercial Establishments

GUWAHATI: Guwahati and other urban areas in the State are threatened with anarchy when it comes to running paying guests (PGs) and private hostels, giving houses on rent and running commercial establishments from residential plots. People engaged in such businesses don’t follow the standing ground rules. Nor do authorities like the GMC (Guwahati Municipal Corporation) and the GMDA (Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority) have a good grip on such violators of rules.

According to rules, permission from the GMC is a must to establish PGs and private hostels in Guwahati. However, over 50 per cent of PGs and private hostels in Guwahati are being run without any permission from the civic body. The glaring outcome is – PG and hostel owners charge rentals from boarders (inmates) at their own whims and fancies, without giving appropriate facilities.

Registration from the GMC is mandatory for running a ‘To let service’ in Guwahati. However, the reality remains that over 40 per cent establishments rendering ‘To let service’ in Guwahati don’t have any registration. The outcome is sheer anarchy – charging hefty amounts from people searching for houses on rent.

The situation is no different for house owners giving their houses on rent. House owners need to keep their police stations informed as to who they are giving their houses on rent, their addresses etc. According to the police, maximum house owners in Guwahati don’t follow this rule. The anarchy is glaring. While an ULFA rebel was arrested from a rented house in the Hatigaon area in Guwahati recently, a foreigner was arrested from a rented house in the Six Mile area on Monday. To fix standard rents, the Assam Urban Rent Contract Act, 1972 was enacted. However, most of house owners giving houses on rent don’t follow this Act. Most of the tenants also don’t ask their house owners to follow the rules because of ignorance. According to this Act, a landlord has to provide water supply, power, drainage system, sanitary system and annual repair of the house given on rent.

Commercial establishments like shops in residential plots are a common scene in Guwahati. However, this is against the rules set by the GMDA. The rule says that over 30 per cent of a residential plot can’t be used for commercial purposes. According to the GMC, the land owners resorting to such violations have to pay tax of the entire plot at commercial rates. However, since neither GMC nor GMDA is strict on these rules, every lane in Guwahati is full of shops in residential plots.

Also Read: Administration Cracks Whip on Unregistered Hostels and Lodges in Dibrugarh,Assam