ISLAMABAD (APP)-People particularly bachelors, students and working women are facing residential problems due to acute shortage of accommodation facilities in the twin cities.
Shabbir Hussain, living in a single room at sector G 6/2 said that main cause of shortage of lodging was lack of bachelor hostels and proper housing schemes in the twin cities.
He said that he had been facing residential problem since he landed in the capital in 2003 after completing study.
“In the past five years, I have changed my resident for many times due to ill attitude of owners or lack of basic facilities,” he added.
He said that setting up of more hostels could bring relief to bachelors who come from far-flung areas of the country in search of jobs and education.
Muhammad Noman, a web designer told that rents of rooms and houses had surged in the last few years due to unprecedented influx of students and job seekers in twin cities. “ I am paying Rs 6000 for a single unfurnished room and the owner raises rent, 10 per cent every year,” he added.
Ramazan, a student who came here for attaining higher education said due to non-availability of proper hostel facilities he had to live in a small room in official flats.
“It is quite difficult for a student to find reasonable living place at affordable rate,” he added.
He said that private hostels had been charging Rs 6000 to Rs 8000 for a single bed accommodation adding these hostels have no proper cleanness system.
“I am residing in a small room of a private hostel with other three girls due to paucity of hostels for girls in the twin cities,” said an employ of a semi-government organisation Nida Khan.
She said, “ We pay Rs 6000 per head to the management of the hostel in which they provide us two time meals and breakfast.” Nida Khan said that there was no proper arrangement for cleanness and the food was substandard.
She appealed to the concerned authorities to take pragmatic steps for setting up new girls hostels in the twin cities because the existing hostel facilities are not sufficient to the ever-increasing women working class.
A property dealer, Hameedullah told bachelors were facing many problems in finding accommodation as owners preferred to rent out house to a family.
He said that the situation aggravated further after Oct 8 earthquake as hundreds of families migrated from NWFP and Azad Jammu Kashmir to the twin cities. He said their migration also raised rents in the twin cities.
Another property dealer, Muhammad Naveed said that rents of houses increased in winter season, because mostly people of Murree shifted to the twin cities due to snowfall and chilly weather.
Source: The Nation
Date:1/12/2008
