The Dehradun district administration has annulled the registrations of 103 homestays on Sunday after thorough inspections uncovered breaches of safety regulations and operational guidelines, according to officials. This decision follows inspections conducted by five magistrate teams as part of ‘Operation Safai’, which examined 153 homestays throughout the district, focusing on establishments that contravened the Uttarakhand Homestay Rules, officials stated.
In the initial phase, officials revoked 17 registrations, followed by 79 in the second phase, and seven in the third. The administration has also initiated the process to remove these non-compliant properties from the official state tourism website.
Officials noted that inspections indicated that affluent urban owners were operating these properties commercially as hotels instead of genuine homestays. Numerous operators had leased out the properties and managed them without the necessary physical presence of the owner. This crackdown was prompted by an increase in criminal activities, including drunk driving, speeding, and public firearm discharges in the city.
During the investigations, police linked these disturbances to individuals residing in commercialized homestays that operated “illegal round-the-clock bars”, played loud music, and became centers for “unlawful activities”, officials reported.
Many units were found to lack essential kitchen facilities and the required food licenses for commercial operations. Several establishments operated without fire-extinguishing equipment or had expired fire safety certificates. Some establishments exceeded their authorized room capacity and utilized properties as commercial wedding venues, undermining the original policy aim of promoting local culture and cuisine, officials remarked.
Inspectors also highlighted previous cases where homestays failed to provide the mandatory Form-C details for foreign guests. During surprise inspections by the magistrate teams, multiple registered properties were found to be non-operational.
The district administration formed area-wise committees to inspect properties, specifically in Sahaspur and Raipur areas, which identified 103 non-compliant properties and recommended immediate cancellation of their licences, they added.
