A three-fold rise in hostel fee without much improvement in facilities has left students of National Institute of Technology (NIT) annoyed at the administration.

The NIT-Patna students who were paying Rs 4,100 as annual hostel fees would now have to pay Rs 12,000 — an increase by nearly three times. With an increase of around Rs 8,000 yearly in the hostel fee, the students would now have to pay Rs 35,550 per semester.

A few days back, the NIT-Patna administration issued a notice regarding this. Omprakash, the NIT-Patna hostel management committee chairman, said: “We have increased the hostel fees.” He, however, refused to come up with any valid reason behind the fees hike.

Sources said the administration had decided to raise the hostel fees to provide hostel facilities to a large number of girls students, who are forced to take private flats on rent in the city to attend classes.

However, the students are upset that the fees have been raised mid-session and that too without adding any facilities to the hostels.

A fourth-year mechanical engineering student, on condition of anonymity, said: “The raised fees will put extra burden on us.” The student added that nothing had been done to develop facilities in the hostels. Another final-year civil engineering student who also refused to disclose his identity said: “At the New Engineering Hostel, around 270 students put up at 123 rooms but there are only two water filters with inadequate number of washrooms.” Of the 123 rooms, most have double occupancy while 63 can accommodate three students. The students claimed that the rooms, measuring around 12ftx8ft, are quite small for two persons. Also, the two have to share a single cupboard.

Akhil Shukla, a second-year electrical engineering student, said: “At IIT-Patna too, three students stay in a room but the rooms are big with three separate cupboards, reading tables and chairs for students.”

Each hostel at IIT-Patna has a common room with facilities of television and table tennis board. Also, the hostels have gymnasium, basketball court, football, badminton and volleyball courts and libraries. But the students at NIT are deprived of all these. The common room has neither television nor table tennis board.

Is increasing hostel fees without adding any facilities justified? Tell ttbihar@abp.in