PESHAWAR: The Private Hostels Association (PHA) has demanded of the provincial government to take action against the owners of the hostels, which are set up in residential colonies without fulfilling the required criteria.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, PHA president Azmat Khattak said that about 735 private hostels were set up in different parts of the provincial metropolis but only 135 of those fulfilled the re-quired criteria while the rest were established in residential colonies.

He said that most of the illegal hostels were set up in substandard buildings where basic facilities were not available and students were fleeced by the owners.

Flanked by PHA general secretary Arshad Iqbal yousafzai, finance secretary Najeebullah Bacha, senior vice president Haji Israfeel and vice president Haji Amanullah, Mr Khattak demanded of the provincial government to take stern action against all those owners, who were accommodating suspects and non-students in their hostels.

`We appreciate approval of Rent Act, 2014 because its implementation will enable law enforcement agencies to check movement of suspected elements to maintain law and order in the district,` he said.

However, Mr Khattak expressed concernover imposition of what he called unnecessary and illegal taxes on private hostels in Peshawar.

He said that the hostel owners were already paying relevant fee and taxes but the additional charges and bribe had forced them to close the hostels as they were unable to appease all the officials, who were conducting raids on their buildings.

Some of the officials, the PHA president alleged, were collecting huge amount from hostel owners in the name of taxes. It was unjust, he added.

Mr Khattak said that the officials of excise and taxation department, Pesco, SNGPL and town administration were raiding the hostels and collecting illegal taxes from them. He said the owners of private hostels in Peshawar played important role in promotion of education by providing accommodation facility to students.Mr Khattak said that hostel owners were paying all legal taxes regularly. But, he said, they would not accept any kind of illegal tax. He added that the government should take immediate action against those officials, who were involved in illegal activities.

Mr Khattak said that the hostels registered with PHA were charging nominal and reasonable fee for providing all basic facilities to students in accordance with weather conditions and seasons. He said that Rs7,300 were charged from each student every month to provide him food, accommodation and other facilities. He added they allotted rooms only to students of educational institution and no outsider was accommodated.

The PHA president urged the government to keep check on those hostels, which were charging high fees without providing adequate facilities to them.