Alarm bells in Gurgaon high-rises

The police said more than 500 apartments in the condominiums in DLF City, Sushant Lok and Palam Vihar have been rented out as guesthouses, reports Sanjeev K Ahuja.

Residents of the upmarket Gurgaon condominiums have sought police action against people running guesthouses and service apartments from these high rises. The residents fear that these places can be misused by terrorists and the police cannot verify the antecedents of the occupants as most of these places have controlled-access systems.

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The police said more than 500 apartments in the condominiums in DLF City, Sushant Lok and Palam Vihar have been rented out as guesthouses and service apartments.

Saurabh Shukla, president of Pearl Court Residents’ Welfare Association at Essel Towers said unlike hotels, where a foreigner has to submit a photocopy of his passport, “serviced apartments don’t provide such records to RWAs or maintenance agencies”.

“We have pointed this out to various agencies, including HUDA, DTCP and the builder, but no action has been taken. Besides being a terror threat, it violates the deed of registration of the apartments, which prohibits commercial use,” Shukla said.

M.M. Bhalla, former RWA president of Hamilton Court, DLF City, said, “It is not nice to have strangers visiting your neighbourhood. Tenants living in rented accommodations are asked to verify their antecedents, but the occupants of the guesthouses in condominiums rarely do so.”

Manjit S. Ahalawat, joint commissioner of police, said he was not aware of guesthouses being run in condominiums. “Today, I have asked my officers to talk to RWAs and condominium associations and ensure that all of them get CCTV cameras installed at the entry and exit points. Plus, they will have to maintain records of all visitors. The RWAs will also be asked to get the antecedents of the occupants for police verification,” Ahalawat added.