RAWALPINDI: Because of limited number of rooms at the hostel of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, hundreds of female students have been forced to look for alternative accommodations.

Despite increase in number of female students, the administration has failed to construct new hostels.

Around 3,500 female students are enrolled in various departments of the university. But the varsity has only one hostel — Fatima Jinnah Hall — where 500 students can be accommodated. At present over 600 students are residing there.

Every year the university increased its courses but the accommodation remained the same, the students said.They said those who had no political connections were denied accommodated there.

The university administration, they added, was asking them to look for alternative accommodations.

They alleged that a large number of students from Rawalpindi district had been allotted rooms in the hostel because of their political connections.

On the other hand, hundreds of students coming from areas like Multan, Faisalabad, Jhang and south Punjab were forced to live in private hostels.

“I have been trying to get admission to the hostel for the last 10 months. Now, I have reached the conclusion that without political influence you cannot think of living in the hostel,” said Anam Basharat, a student of the education department.

Anam, a native of Layyah district, said she along with her sister, who was also a student at the university, was denied accommodation in the hostel.

Another student, Laila, who belonged to Jhang, said: “I have been visiting various offices to get accommodation in the hostel but no one is ready to even listen to me.”

A number of other students said most of them could not afford accommodation in private hostels.

When contacted, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Rai Niaz said he had been trying his best to resolve the issue.

“Yes, this is a serious issue that’s why I’m going to get vacated some flats and houses being used by university officers. I hope around 200 students would be accommodated in these buildings.”

The VC said he was in touch with the government and a private business group for construction of new hostels.

“Due to shortage of rooms in the hostel, hundreds of our female students are living in private hostels,” said Dr Nadeem Akhtar, the chairman of the horticulture department.

MPA Raja Hanif said he would play his role in resolving the issue.

“Recently, the university administration gave me the PC-I of the new hostel. During the ongoing session of the assembly, I will take up the issue with the chief minister,” he said.

The lawmaker, in a joking tone, said he had to face pressure from politicians across the province to get their voters accommodated in the university’s hostel.