SIALKOT, Aug 27: Around 2,200 girl students of Govt Murray College, Sialkot, are suffering due to lack of hostels as they have been forced to rent houses near and around the college.

A number of girls said living in rented houses was very costly and unaffordable for them, as they had to bear extra expenditures of Rs4,000 to Rs5,000 per month. Parents of many students also expressed concern over this situation and urged Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the DCO to ensure early establishment of a girls hostel.

Talking to Dawn, Murray College Principal Prof Javaid Akhtar Billah urged the Punjab government to make the college a “centre of excellence” besides granting it degree-awarding status. He said the college lacked classrooms also.

The principal said there were only eight classrooms for more than 5,000 students of the college. He requested that after giving it a university status the Punjab government should establish a campus of the college on the outskirts of Sialkot just like the Government College Lahore campus established on the outskirts of the city. He said 200 acres of government land were available in Ladhar village near Sialkot for establishing another campus of Murray College.

The few classrooms that the college had lacked furniture due to which students and teachers were facing hardships, he added.

RENOVATION: Repair work of 40 government school buildings that were flooded is briskly under way in Pasrur tehsil.

DCO Iftikhar Ali Sahu on Tuesday reviewed pace of the repair work and directed officials concerned to ensure its timely completion.

Pasrur Assistant Commissioner Touqeer Ilyas Cheema told the media the buildings, especially boundary walls of 40 government primary, elementary and high schools, were badly damaged by the recent flash floods. Local students were going through an ordeal due to the flooded buildings.

CRACKDOWN: Sialkot district police have arrested 31 people accused of flying, selling and buying kites during a crackdown in the tehsils of Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur on Tuesday.

Sialkot DPO Muhammad Gohar Nafees said this while talking to the media here.

Police have sent the accused behind bars after registering cases against them, he added.