Ghaziabad: 190 unauthorised hotels, lodges sealed

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad police on Monday conducted surprise inspections of hotels, lodges and other avenues across the district and sealed about 190 such establishments operating without licenses or registrations, officers said, adding that the focus was on mushrooming establishments using “OYO” in an unauthorised manner.

During the four-hour checks (between 12 and 4pm), officers inspected 122 establishments in the city zone and found 56 of these operating in an unauthorised manner.

In the trans-Hindon zone, police inspected 160 such establishments and found 82 operating in unauthorised manner. In rural zone, about 108 such establishments were checked and 54 of these were found operating without any licenses/permissions, they added.

“The drive was specially directed against such unauthorised establishments which have mushroomed and were misusing “OYO” brand name on their boards. They were not authorised to operate. Such establishments were identified and sealed as per procedure. A report is also being sent to the licensing authority,” said Rajesh Kumar, officiating additional commissioner of police.

Officers said the surprise raids followed several complaints of anti-social activities taking place at unauthorised hotels and lodges among other places.

“In the past, our teams have cracked down on such unauthorised establishments and cases of immoral trafficking have surfaced while we also had complaints reported for instances of rape. The unauthorised establishments flout norms and allow easy access to anyone in their premises. Our drive will continue,” Kumar added.

When contacted, OYO representatives said that the total figure of their authorised establishments in Ghaziabad district was about 100.

“We welcome the action taken by the government and local police in addressing the issue of hotels operating illegally in the city. This aligns with and strengthens our ongoing campaign against fake OYO hotels misusing our brand name. This also reinforces our commitment to ensuring a safe and reliable accommodation for our guests. We strongly encourage guests to book exclusively through OYO’s official platforms— our app or website—and promptly report any suspicious or unauthorised properties to us,” OYO spokesperson said in a statement.

Police said that such unauthorised hotels/lodges etc, were found operating near National Highway – 9, Dundahera, Behrampur and colleges near NH-9. They were also operating in areas Rajendra Nagar, Shyam Park Extension, near Shaheed Nagar Metro station, Mohan Nagar, and Link Road among others.

Officers said that eight such establishments were found in Niti Khand and Shakti Khand areas of Indirapuram and five were found in Vaishali.

In the city zone, police said that such establishments were operating out of Shastri Nagar, Kavi Nagar, Sanjay Nagar, at Meerut Road, Pratap Vihar and also near Ghaziabad railway station, among other locations.