Gurugram: Guesthouses flouting new rules under DTCP lens, to face action

GURUGRAM: Guesthouses, which are operating in the city without following the new guesthouse policy, will face action soon. The department of town and country planning (DTCP) has constituted three teams to survey all guesthouses in licensed colonies and submit a report within 15 days.

District town planner (enforcement) Amit Madholia said the government has already framed the new policy for operating guesthouses and those who are not following the norms will face action as per law.

He added that the department is preparing an action plan to check the guesthouses situated on the internal roads of the licensed colonies. “Most of these guesthouses are situated in DLF areas, Sushant Lok 1 and South City 1 and 2. We have details of most of them but after a recent amendment in the policy, the department is updating the data on illegal guesthouses operational within the licenced colonies,” Madholia said.

The three teams, which include junior engineers and field technicians, will inspect the guesthouses in all licenced colonies and submit a report within 15 days. The report will be sent to DTCP director KM Pandurang to seek directions for further action.

According to the policy, a guesthouse is allowed on residential plots measuring between 500 sq yards and 1,500 sq yards. Even two plots of 500 sq yards each or more clubbed together are given permission by the department.

However, a condition has been imposed that the plot must be on sector roads with a service lane. However, officials said that in Gurgaon, smaller plots of 200 sq yards, which are not even on sector roads, have been developed into guesthouses which is a complete violation of the norms.

According to sources, there are a total of around 2,500 guesthouses in the city, of which only 100 to 120 are approved by the competent authority. The others are operating either without permission or in violation of the norms.

These guesthouses are mainly concentrated within licenced colonies of DLF 1-3, Suncity, Palam Vihar, Sushant Lok, sector 45-47 and South City.

In the past, the department had appealed to the owners of guesthouses to submit relevant documents and apply for permission if their premises fulfilled the provisions as mentioned in the new policy.