Pune: Vishrambaug police have directed hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodation operators within their jurisdiction to submit details of establishments and occupants within 24 hours of receiving notice, citing security concerns.NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar criticised the directive, alleging that it stigmatised students from poor families of farmers and workers by casting suspicion on them. In a post on X, he questioned if the Pune police commissioner’s “head was in the right place” and urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to rein in “mindless officers”. He also alleged that the action was aimed at defaming underprivileged youths to protect a “corrupt friend”.According to the police, a study in old parts of the city in the past two weeks revealed that there are 200 hostels/paying guest facilities, most of which run on a cot-basis module, and 58 study rooms and study facilities. State and central civil services aspirants stay and study there.Over 20 cases have been filed against the residential facilities in the past few days where job aspirants have been staying without intimation to police. Landlords of these hostels are required to submit details of the tenants to police.A senior police officer said, “We started issuing notices to the landlords of hostels and paying guest facilities not furnishing details of tenants because terrorists used rented facilities to execute their terror plots in various parts of the country in the past. The decision was taken as part of security measures. Hostels and paying guest facilities will have to adhere to notices and submit details of the tenants in the next few days.”
