Chennai: Students and working professionals staying in hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodation across the state may now have to pay more, as operators have increased rents by around 10%, citing a steep rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices and cooking costs.The Tamil Nadu IT hostel & PG owners welfare association has issued a circular stating that the revised rental rates will come into effect from May 5.Monthly tariffs for non-AC accommodation have been revised to 6,500-7,500 for four-sharing rooms, 7,000-8,000 for three-sharing, and 8,000-9,000 for two-sharing setups. Operators said these are baseline rates and may vary depending on location and facilities.A Seetharaman, president of the association, said, “Since the unrest in West Asia earlier this year, the price of a 19kg commercial LPG cylinder has risen from 1,899 in Feb to 3,258 in May. But in reality, cylinders are available only in the black market for 6,000-7,000,” he said.“We switched to firewood and bore the additional costs for four months. That is no longer viable as even firewood prices have increased,” he added. The association estimates that more than 20,000 hostels across TN accommodate nearly 20 lakh people, including around 15,000 hostels in Chennai housing about 12 lakh residents. Some operators have already cut down on food services. “We have stopped serving chapatis and dosas as they consume more fuel,” said G Karthick, treasurer.Residents say the impact is immediate. “We were told a few days ago that food will no longer be provided in our PG. Eating out is expensive, so we are managing with ready-to-eat food,” said R Surya, a student staying in Tambaram.Some places have also increased maintenance charges. “My PG has increased maintenance fee by 250. I don’t know how long I would be able to afford this,” said S Anand, a private firm employee from Choolaimedu.
