PGAs: A home away from home

LUCKNOW: For those searching for a home away from home in the City of Nawabs, it has mostly been an uphill task. Up until now that is, for the concept of ‘paying guest accommodations (PGA''s)'' appears to have caught on quickly. Lucknow might not yet be able to boast of hobnobbing with distant cousins like Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore, but going by the sheer number of PG accommodations and private hostels that have mushroomed of late, life has certainly become a lot easier for the single working professional and the away-from-home student.
And so, an average PG ad these days offers basic comforts like bedding, 3 meals a day, electricity, water, security and a homely atmosphere, with add-ons like a refrigerator, cooler and even free cable TV. Most PGA''s are located near coaching institutions and offices, thus also reducing time spent on travel. But it''s not only the ‘paying guests'' so to speak, who benefit from such arrangements. For, besides being an additional source of income, such arrangements also serve to provide the house owners with company, especially so, in the case of retired people and housewives. "We eat our meals and watch television together... even sit for hours together talking to each other. The girls living as paying guests with me have become family to me," says Soni Sangwan who runs a PGA for girls. Tulika Banerjee, who has been staying with Soni as a PG for the past six months, says that she''s found a home away from home.
Oddly enough, even though there are fewer PGA''s for boys than for girls, an owner of a boys'' PGA said: "Boys make better PG''s than girls because they are far more accommodating in nature and hardly complain."
And then there''s the security factor too. Though most house owners do not have any special security arrangements in place, they also claim not to have faced any problems as such. "We don''t have a security guard, but we look after our PG''s as family members," said the owner of a girls'' PGA near Loreto. Precautions are taken for the girls'' safety. "Late nights are not allowed," says Savitri Sanghwani, running a PGA near Hazratganj for the past 10 years. The night curfew is strict for girls. Most PGA''s do not allow visitors. Some do allow family members to visit, but boyfriends/ girlfriends are a no-no.
Under the law, proprietors of such PGA''s are liable to pay income tax on the earnings, said Rajiv Joshi, income tax officer. "If they provide self-manufactured food to guests and their annual income from this exceeds Rs 1 lakh, they have to pay sales tax under Section 3 of the UP Trade Tax Act," said Ved Prakash, deputy commissioner, sales tax. The distinguishing line between PGA and a private hostel is still blurred in Lucknow, as additional municipal commissioner RN Pal said: "Since this concept has not been officially recognised here, there are no set guidelines for proprietors. Private hostels though, are to follow the rules."