BENGALURU: To ensure the safety of inmates residing in Paying Guest (PGs) accommodations across the city, the city police instructed PG owners to follow safety measures suggested by the police department and compulsorily take mandatory trade licenses from the BBMP. Owners who fail to adhere to the guidelines will be held liable, in case of any untoward incident in PG centres.
In case of foreigners residing in PGs, the owners have been told to provide information about them to the jurisdictional police directly or online. Details, including name, passport number, visa number, date of arrival in the country, purpose of visit and details of their local contacts should be recorded.
Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Raman Gupta listed out the guidelines on X. They have been framed in accordance with sections of the Karnataka Police Act, thus helping the police keep a tab on those staying in PGs. There are more than 5,000 PGs in South East and Whitefield police divisions which house a majority of IT employees. Besides, there are over 4.5 lakh people who stay in PGs in the city.
The guidelines instructed installation of CCTV cameras and implement safety measures to address fire hazards. Moreover, they have also been advised to adhere to the Supreme Court order, restricting the use of loudspeakers between 10pm and 6am. The guidelines also directed for the display of phone numbers of essential services, like local police station, emergency response (112), medical services (103) and cybercrime (1930).