Hindustan Times 23.11.2010
Guesthouses to face sealingScores of unregistered guesthouses in Paharganj - Delhi's tourist hub - face an uncertain fate, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi issuing notices to them warning them against sealing and informing them that necessary action will be taken shortly. The civic body had, on November 18, issued notices to 60 guesthouses in the busy central Delhi locality, warning them that sealing action will be carried out against them if they failed to get themselves registered by Monday.
"We are waiting for their replies to our notices... we will initiate the necessary action on a case-to-case basis," said a senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) official.
There are a total of 400 guesthouses in Paharganj, of which 150 do not have licences from the MCD, officials said.
The notice was sent out to 60 guesthouses by the assistant engineer of the building department, Sadar Paharganj zone.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Hotel Mahasangh said that it would be meeting deputy commissioner, Sadar Zone, Renu Jagdev on Tuesday to discuss several issues that have been ignored in the notice.
The guesthouse owners claimed they did not register themselves as commercial properties because they come under 'Special Area', outlined in the yet-to-be-implemented Delhi Masterplan 2021, that includes the Sadar Paharganj zone.
"The status quo has to be maintained till the Masterplan is approved by the Supreme Court," said Arun Gupta, general secretary, Delhi Hotel Mahasangh.
Even as owners of guest houses in Paharganj refused to speak to the media, members of the Mahasangh say these guesthouses have been functional for many years and the MCD was following a 'pick and choose' policy to harass owners.
