After protests, JNU drops move to hike hostel fee

New Delhi: Bowing to pressure from the agitating students, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Wednesday scaled down the hike in hostel charges and other proposed decisions, describing it as a "major rollback".

The decision of the JNU Executive Committee was announced by HRD Secretary R Subrahmanyam, two days after the major protest undertaken by the varsity students, during which even HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal was confined to the campus for more than five hours.

"JNU Executive Committee announces major rollback in the hostel fee and other stipulations. Also proposes a scheme for economic assistance to the EWS students. Time to get back to classes," the HRD Secretary tweeted amid continuing protest by the students at the university campus.

Subrahmanyam did not give details of the rollback but officials in the ministry said single room occupancy will now be Rs 200 and for double room, it will be Rs 100. Earlier, the charges were hiked from Rs 20 to Rs 600 for single room occupancy and from Rs 10 to Rs 300 for double room occupancy.

The varsity also restored the one-time mess security deposit to Rs 5,500 from the proposed Rs 12,000, officials in the ministry said. However, the service charge of Rs 1700 will continue, as will the utility charges, which will be the actuals. Apart from these monetary rollbacks, the varsity also rolled back the alleged "hostel curfew timings", which was a major bone of contention between the administration and the students.

For the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) students, the university has proposed some scheme to ensure that they don't face much financial burden but its details were not revealed. However, the students are not happy with the partial rollback and want the complete withdrawal of the decision of the university with regard to the charges and other measures proposed.