ISLAMABAD – Students, bachelors, and workingwomen are facing residential problems due to acute shortage of accommodation facilities in twin cities of Rawalpind and Islamabad.

Shabbir Hussain, living in a single room in Sector G-6/2 said that the main cause of shortage of accommodation was the lack of bachelor hostels and proper housing schemes. He said that he had been facing residential problem since he came in the capital in 2003.
“In the past five years, I have changed my residence many times due to the bad attitude of house owners or lack of basic facilities,” he added. He said that the setting up of more hostels could bring relief to bachelors who came here from remote areas of the country in search of jobs and education.
Muhammad Noman, an IT employee, said that rents 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. “ I am paying Rs 6,000 for a single unfurnished room and the owner raises rent, 10 percent every year,” he added.
Waleed Khan, a student, said that due to non-availability of proper hostel facilities, he had to live in a small room. “It is quite difficult for a student to find a reasonable living place at affordable rates,” he added.
He said that private hostels had been charging Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 for a single bed accommodation adding that these hostels had no proper cleanliness system.
“I am residing in a small room of a private hostel with three other girls due to paucity of hostels for girls in the twin cities,” said Nida Khan, an employ of a semi-government organisation.
She said, “We pay Rs 7,000 per head to the hostel management who provide two time meals and breakfast. Nida Khan said that there was no proper arrangement of cleanliness and the food was also substandard. She appealed to the authorities concerned to take steps for setting up new girls hostels in the twin cities facilities were not sufficient to the ever-increasing demand of women working class.
A property dealer, Hameedullah, said that bachelors were facing many problems in finding accommodation as owners preferred to rent out houses to families.
He said that the rents of houses increased in winter because mostly people from Murree shifted to the twin cities due to the snowfall and chilly weather.