Girls stranded due to PG sealing drive

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The recent crackdown by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) at South Ex Part-1 left more than 40 girls of a PG accommodation in the area stranded. Girls living in PGs in South Ex-1 claim this isn’t the first time they’ve suddenly found themselves homeless.
Most girls say this is a recurring problem in some of the PGs. “In my last PG, I got a day’s notice to vacate my room as the owners had to carry out some construction after they received a notice from the MCD. It was really difficult for me to find another accommodation overnight,” says Akriti Sahay, a science student of Delhi University.
Residents of the area say this isn’t surprising as the owners of PGs often don’t comply with laws. A resident, Harish Bhatia, who has been living for more than 50 years near the PG that was sealed recently, says that in the last three years close to 200 notices have been served to owners of houses with illegal construction. “But very few take these notices seriously. Either because there are multiple owners of a house or because there are sentiments attached with the illegal construction,” says Bhatia, who regrets that in the end it’s these innocent girls who have to bear the brunt and are inconvenienced when the illegal property is sealed.
Bhatia shares that many girls who were not present when the building was being sealed had nowhere to go. “While most of them took shelter at their relative or friends’ place, those who had nowhere to go spent the night without water and electricity as the connections were cut,” adds Bhatia.
What’s worse is that next morning the girls were surprised to find that the rates of other PGs shot up. “After coming back from work, one of my seniors at college found that her PG has been sealed. She called me for help and came over to stay with me. When the next morning she went out looking for a new accommodation, she found that the rent had increased by `1,000 to `1,500. It’s difficult to live like this,” rues Preeti Raheja, a microbiology student living in South Ex.
However, a worker from the PG that was sealed says that to raise prices at this point doesn’t make sense. “Most PGs have illegal construction and they may suffer the ire of MCD soon,” says Shahid, who thinks the owners may soon revert to current PG rates.