News: Chandigarh estate office seeks report on fire NOCs given by PGs-04-03-2021
Many PG owners had submitted mandatory fire NOC before the sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) during a hearing. To verify these NOCs, the estate office has asked for the latest report.
CHANDIGARH: The UT estate office has written to the municipal corporation (MC) fire and emergency services wing to submit a report on the fire safety non-objection certificate (NOC) submitted by paying guest (PG) accommodations in the city.
Many PG owners had submitted mandatory fire NOC before the sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) during a hearing. To verify these NOCs, the estate office has asked for the latest report.
Sources said after the fire department’s report, the next course of action related to registration of PG accommodations will be decided by the estate office.
The administration had made changes in its PG policy after the fire tragedy at a PG in Sector 32, in which three girls were killed on February 22 last year, and had launched a crackdown against illegal PGs.
But despite all that, only 97 PGs are registered in the city, if data uploaded by the UT administration on the official website is to be believed.
Before last year’s tragedy, there were 23 registered PGs in the city. After it, the administration registered 74 more PGs. The UT had given provisional registration to many PG owners, but only a handful of them had come forward for final registration.
If sources are to be believed, over 100 PGs are still running illegally in the city, especially in southern sectors in the garb of rented accommodations.
According to the policy, minimum usable area for one PG should be 50 square metre with adequate provision of toilet. Fire clearance from the fire department was made mandatory for PG accommodation registration.
