Hyderabad: Most women’s paying guest (PG) accommodations and hostels surveyed under the Cyberabad Security Council’s ‘Safe Stay’ initiative lack basic emergency safeguards, with fire extinguishers and first-aid kits missing in a large number of establishments. Of the 1,007 establishments listed, only 220 had first-aid kits and 566 had fire extinguishers.However, surveillance tells a different story. According to data on the Safe Stay portal, 960 establishments had CCTV cameras, with 918 operating 24×7. The audit also found that 815 establishments physically verify residents’ IDs, 578 have dedicated security personnel and 567 have a five-foot compound wall.Safety of these establishments has come under greater scrutiny following the recent collapse of a multi-storeyed building in Gachibowli in which two people were killed.The initiative measures safety across six areas, including surveillance, access control, fire-safety preparedness, first aid, security personnel and basic physical security. Taken together, the numbers point to a gap. Surveillance and access control are widely in place, but emergency preparedness is not.The survey focused mainly on PGs around Raidurgam, Kukatpally, Miyapur and other parts of the Cyberabad region.Ekta Viveck Verma, previously associated with the Society for Cyberabad Security Council, took part in the PG audits and said fire safety emerged as a recurring concern. “Fire safety was a recurring concern during the audits. Many PGs had cramped rooms with limited space to move around, which becomes particularly dangerous during an emergency. Hygiene, including cleanliness of the premises and food-safety practices, was another concern we frequently came across,” she said.For women living in these PGs, the gaps have had real consequences. M Harini from Bengaluru, who has lived in Hyderabad for two years, said she faced a fire incident and a theft while staying at a women’s PG near Miyapur. Someone once reached through a lower-floor window and stole phones. She paid around Rs 12,000 a month.“I was dealing with cockroaches and rats even while sleeping, and I was falling sick frequently. At Rs 12,000-17,000, finding another PG often felt like choosing between different versions of the same problems,” she said.Another resident, Anna, pointed to a pattern she has seen across private PGs: high rents, poor food and management focused on cutting costs. “There needs to be stronger intervention to improve standards in local PGs and hostels, because residents are paying substantial amounts but often have very limited alternatives,” she said.
