Over 200 illegal paying guest houses in Gurgaon: Huda

The information was red in a Hua survey held after an activist, SK Sharma, sought information regarding illegal guest houses operational in Huda areas in an RTI query.

More than 200 paying guest houses are functioning without permission in Gurgaon’s upscale sectors, including in condominiums, a survey conducted by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) has revealed.

A paying guest house in Sector 30. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The survey was held after an activist, SK Sharma, sought information regarding illegal guest houses operational in Huda areas in an RTI query.

A survey conducted by a sub-divisional engineer (survey) of the Huda in February identified such 200 accommodations in sectors 39, 38, 28, 32, 52, 45, 46, 31, 44, 51, 42, 43 and 56. These sectors fall under the estate office 2, Sharma said.

As per the 2012 policy of the department of town and country planning, a Huda sector can have a maximum of 5,000 sq yard area earmarked for setting up guest houses. The minimum size of the plot should be 1,000 sq yard and permissions must be sought from the department.

While Huda estate office 2 collected information about these guest houses, the same information from estate office 1 and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) areas is still awaited. Sharma had filed the application in October and received the first batch of information after almost five months.

“This is a serious issue as there is no permission given to these guest houses. There is no record of these establishments and this could lead to a serious law and order situation. I have requested the commissioner of police and Huda administrator to take necessary action,” Sharma said.

All guest houses identified by the Huda are run in residential areas. They do not have commercial electricity connections and are allegedly a nuisance for residents living in the area.

It may be recalled that the masterminds of the Manappuram Gold Finance heist were arrested by the Gurgaon police from a guest house in DLF Phase 3, where the accused were hiding after the crime.

Huda administrator Yashpal Yadav said the authority had initiated the process of documenting illegal guest houses in February and the rest of the area under its jurisdiction is being mapped. “We will start issuing notices to the owners of these houses and in case the illegal operations are not stopped, the authority will resume (cancel allotment) the property as this matter pertains to security and safety of residents,” Yadav said.