Unregistered student hostels face action
At least 34 hostels for boys and girls operating illegally in Bahawalpur are facing action by the district administration.
According to sources, the district police officer has written a letter to the officials concerned to take legal action against the unregistered private hostels.
Among the hostels, four are located in the Kotwali area, two in Cantonment, 17 in Civil Lines and 11 in the Baghdad Jadeed police station's jurisdiction.
Two girl students had died and two others had been severely injured after the roof of a hostel collapsed in Riyadh Colony last week.
The police have registered a case against the hostel owner, but have not arrested him so far. Bahawalpur city is the hub of education in the region and many students from other towns live in the private hostels despite inadequate facilities.
An official said while speaking to The Express Tribune that it was estimated that about 40 per cent of the thousands of students of the government and private schools, colleges and universities in the city were from the suburbs and other cities.
A local official said at least 34 hostels had been set up in Bahawalpur without seeking approval from the deputy commissioner and other relevant institutions.
Accommodation of five to seven students in a room is offered after acquiring a house on rent for Rs25,000 to Rs50,000 per month and partitioning the rooms.
The owners reportedly charge about Rs7,000 per month from each student. Thus manifold profit is earned from the rented buildings.
Keeping the facilities unregistered results in evasion of taxes, lack of need for commercial use of residential property and consumption of electricity and natural gas at domestic rates.
A parent of a student said while speaking to The Express Tribune that most of the private hostels had been set up in dilapidated buildings because they were not checked for registration.
He said most of the buildings were more than 50 years old with additional portions built in them. Wallpaper is used to hide the dilapidated condition of the buildings and thousands of students were living in such conditions, he added. Most of the unregistered private hostels are operating at the Islamia University Road, Faisal Colony, Bagikhana, Jail Road, Riaz Colony, Noorul Haq Colony, Garden Town, Gohar Town, Qasim Town and Darbar Mahal Road.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2023.