Students demand clarity from IIT-B before taking decisions

MUMBAI: With IIT Mumbai having hiked mess fees for post-graduate students, students have demanded clarity from the institute before taking decisions directly affecting them. The earlier mess fees of Rs 20,000 per semester have now been hiked to Rs 27,000 per semester i.e. a Rs 7,000 increase.

Prior to the hike, IIT Mumbai used to charge overdue at the end of every semester. Students alleged that there was no assurance from the institute that it would not charge overdue after implementing the fee hike, effective from the coming academic year.

A student said, “Earlier, before the semester ended, they used to ask for Rs 4,000 or Rs 6,000 as overdue. We understand they have expenses but every month, the amount of money changed and at every mess (of different hostels), the rates were different.”

Another PG student said, “We asked for a one-time solution for this rate change. But now they say that it has been hiked by only Rs 7,000.”

A statement released by Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle, IIT Mumbai, read, “Many other mess rules are being changed in different hostels to the detriment of students. For instance, in hostel 10, PG students could opt out of the mess during vacations and they were not charged any other amount besides the maintenance charge of Rs 200 per month. Now however, if a student opts out of the mess during this period, he or she will be required to pay Rs 1,500 per month.”

Soumyo Mukherji, dean, students’ affairs, told The Asian Age, “It is an advance mess fees and not a fee hike as claimed by the students. Since the time the mess system has been started, students have debts which they never pay us. Moreover, we cannot negotiate before taking any administrative decision but we made sure to notify the change to the students’ elected representative.”

Fee hike

Last year too, there were several protests by the students of IIT Mumbai after the institute imposed a fee hike on undergraduate students. The then fee hike comprised a 300 per cent increase in hostel rent; 167 per cent in gymkhana fees; and 100 per cent in exam, registration and medical fees. However, after the protests, IIT Mumbai withdrew the hike partially.