Islamabad-The students of different educational institutions in the twin cities are facing lots of problem in getting a reasonable accommodation due to shortage of hostels.

The students living in private hostels have not only to pay huge amounts in rent but also face many problems including lack of security, quality meal and clean drinking water. Many young people who come to the twin cities from various parts of the country with an aim to study are forced to live in expensive private hostels because of a lack of cheaper government accommodations at institutions.

Faizan Ullah, a student from Dera Ismail Khan, said that he could not get space in his college’s hostel due to which he had to live in a rented room with poor facilities. “We are forced to share a small room due to heavy charges of private hostels”, he said.

Kalsom Mehmod said that she was living in a small room of a private hostel where three other girls were living with her because of shortage of girls’ hostels in the twin cities. “We girls are facing many problems, including lack of security, while standard of the private hostels is also very low”, she added.

She said that the private hostels have no security guards despite government orders.

Samar Iqbal, an employee, said that the rent of rooms and houses had surged in the last few years due to the unprecedented influx of students and job seekers in the twin cities. “It is quite difficult for students to find a reasonable living place at affordable rates,” he added.

An official of Islamic International University, Islamabad (IIUI), said that they were unable to accommodate all the students as they were facing shortage of hostels. He said that that the varsity was planning to construct more hostels for students in the future.

The Federal Urdu University does not have any living arrangements for their students. Meanwhile, many other federal chartered institutions also do not have living arrangements for their students.

The students demanded of the concerned authorities to provide sufficient accommodation facilities in educational institutions to address their problems. They stressed that the educational institutions should provide boarding, lodging and other facilities to their students.

Private hostel managements have made good use of shortage of government hostels and are charging exorbitant rates for boarding and lodging. They charge between Rs8,000 and Rs10,000 for a single bed which is very expensive for students.