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Guest houses' sprout in Dhaka residential areas

By Asiuzzaman
Several dozens of residen-llal hotels in the name of "guest house" have dotted the residential areas of Gulshan. Banant and Baridhara violating norms and sometimes creating public nuisance
Existing laws do not permit operations of any hotels in the residential areas and a source of the licensing department of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) said that issuance of such licences In Dhanmondi. Laima tta, Pallabi. Gulshan. Banani. Baridhara and Uttara In the capital, is prohibited
It Is alleged that these
guest houses are often used for thw entertainment of clients of a section of businessmen and for gambling and drinking sessions. Members of drug smuggling rings also use them as shelters.
The 'guest houses' got a shake-up following a Nigerian national's arrest In connection with drug smuggling from one of them.
Its management, however, denied the allegations.
Gulshan thana sources said that there are 26 such guest houses in Gulshan. Banani and Baridhara areas and that al-
most all of them have licences from the DCC.
Some of the owners also got permission from the Deputy Commissioner's office under Sarais Act of 1867, the source added. Another source, however, put the number of guest houses at 45.
They showed us trade licences and other documents during raids," the Officer-In-Charge of Gulshan Police' Station told The Dally Star adding that "their only weak ness is, that they sometimes create public nuisance which is punishable by police rules
Police arc empowered to conduct raids on hotels and boarding houses at any lime under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976.
No one, even the DCC source, could clarify how those guest house owners got licences.
They probably showed It as a commercial plot." an official of the revenue department of the DCC head office said with out elaborating.
The DCC head office does not currently maintain any list or accbunts on those hotels since the matter was handed
over to zonal head offices a few years ago. he added
During a two- week fact finding effort by this corre spondent most of the man agers and owners of those guest house could not be contacted for comment
The assistant managers, re ceptionists or room service boys who were available, avoided all the questions say Ing "the manager knows It all and all documents are with him."
They however said that the guest houses were being run according to the law. They
have licences and are regularly paying taxes. Almost all of them claimed that they only allow foreign guests.
The rent in those houses vary from Taka 500 to Taka 1200 for a 24 hours stay, they said adding that the two to three storey guest houses have only five to 15 rooms.
Most of the guest houses have no signboards only name plates.
The owners of most of the guest houses are business magnates of the city and run these houses as a side bust ness. The occupants of many of the guest houses are their personal or business guests, they added.
Answering a question on how they got customers or boarders In their houses, a staff of a guest house tn Banani area told The Daily Star that "they have contacts with the taxicab drivers of the Zia International Airport who sup- ‘ ply them with clients."
The managers and owners constantly keep in touch with a section of airport officials, embassies, donor agencies, non-government organisations (NGOs) and big business houses to have boarders, it is learnt
"Many of the guest houses have a three- star hotel standard but rents are comparatively low to lure the guests," a staff of a guest house In Gulshan area said.
The staff of all the guest houses that were visited by this correspondent claimed to be doing clean business and categorically rejected the alle gallons of creating public nuisance.
But a manager, contacted by telephone told The Dally Star thal sometimes they are "forced to allow call-girls into their guest houses by focal Influential people and mastans." He did not elaborate.
The neighbouring residents, contacted by The Dally Star kept away from commenting on whether they felt any trouble by the guest houses being close to their residences.
When contacted the DCC Mayor said that he had no proper idea about those guest houses and that he had to Inquire Into the matter before making any comment.