The Mathura district administration has opened a major drive against hotels and guest houses operating without any norms or permission. The moment a joint team led by City Magistrate Anupam Mishra — backed by the Fire Brigade and the Tourism Department — reached Dhauli Pyau and Malgodam Road, panic spread among hotel operators. The four-hour-long crackdown ended with orders to seal 10 hotels and notices served to around 30 to 35 operators.
Shocking findings during the raid
The inspection revealed that several hotels were renting out rooms for as little as 1 or 2 hours at a time. Many operators did not even have the identity documents of the guests staying with them. Acting on these irregularities, the team seized the registers of 6 to 7 hotels on the spot. In one telling moment, a hotel manager was caught hurriedly filling in his register the moment he spotted the team approaching.
Guest houses in narrow lanes pose a danger
Large numbers of hotels and guest houses are running illegally across different parts of the city. Many of them neither registered with the Tourism Department nor obtained an NOC from any department. Several guest houses have been set up in lanes so narrow that they operate entirely without permission. In some cases, residents had simply hung a board outside their homes and turned them into guest houses. For travellers staying in such places, any emergency could turn into a threat to life.
The reality at Dhauli Pyau left officials stunned
When City Magistrate Anupam Mishra arrived at Dhauli Pyau with his force, the scene there left the administration itself taken aback. The area had fewer houses and far more hotels and guest houses. At many spots, a single building was home to a family while a hotel ran alongside it. The lanes here are in such a state that not even a Fire Brigade motorcycle — let alone its fire engine — can get through. Seeing this, the administration signalled that strict action would now follow against both the responsible officials and the hotel operators.
Business booming despite earlier notices
During the action, 15 guest houses came to light that had already received notices from the Fire Brigade and the Pollution Department, yet were still running unchecked. Alongside the negligence, the administration also picked up signs of illegal activities at these hotels, leaving operators rattled. City Magistrate Anupam Mishra served notices to the owners of roughly 30 to 35 hotels on Dhauli Pyau and Malgodam Road, and ordered 10 hotels to be sealed. After the crackdown, he stated that 30 to 35 hotels across the two areas failed to meet the prescribed standards and that strict action would be taken against all of them. He made it clear that, given safety concerns, the drive would continue on a sustained basis.
15 days to comply, or face sealing
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Arun Kumar Singh said most hotels were found without a fire NOC, and lacked adequate safety arrangements and resources. Strict action is now being prepared against all of them. The operators served with notices have been given 15 days to fix the deficiencies. If the shortcomings are not corrected within that time, sealing action will be carried out against these hotels.
