Former Haryana minister Sampat Singh on Wednesday criticised the state government for failing to formulate a comprehensive policy to regulate paying guest accommodation in cities.
This has put thousands of students at risk and depriving municipal bodies of potential revenue, he said.
“However, the government has failed to provide adequate hostel facilities in and around educational institutions. No inspection or audit had been conducted, and the corporation had no records of unauthorised PGs or complaints against them. He pointed out that students are often accommodated in buildings without adequate structural safety, fire protection, sanitation, security arrangements or a proper study environment. In the absence of prescribed standards, their lives and safety remain uncertain. The government’s failure to act despite incidents involving unsafe accommodation is a matter of serious public concern, he added.
The INLD leader said he filed an RTI application in September 2026 with the municipal corporation, Hisar, seeking 12 categories of information regarding PG registration, permissions, inspections, complaints, unauthorised establishments, penalties and property taxation. “The Corporation’s written reply in October 2026 revealed that no policy existed and no licence, permission or NOC had been issued to any PG establishment.
In a statement, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader said that thousands of students from rural areas and other districts move to cities like Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Sonepat, Ambala, Panipat, Yamunanagar, Gurugram, Panchkula and Faridabad for higher education and preparation of competitive examinations in coaching centres and academies. Consequently, students are forced to depend on privately operated PG accommodations, many of which function without a transparent registration and monitoring mechanism,’’ Singh said. The reply also failed to provide quantified information on property-tax collection and outstanding dues,” he said. Singh said when municipal authorities have neither an effective registration system nor an inspection mechanism, who is responsible for the safety of thousands of students living in these establishments?
