Guwahati, June 30: The students of Cotton College here today appealed to the Assam government to provide electricity at a subsidised rate to the college.

Amlanjyoti Dewri, the general secretary of Cotton College Union Society, the students' body of the college, told The Telegraph that the college, including its hostels, needs to pay between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4 lakh every month as electricity bill which is a "huge burden" on the college.

"Now a boarder of one of the hostels needs to pay between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in electricity bills although most of power consumption in the hostels are due to use of bulbs and fans only," he said.

Dewri said the Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) had disconnected power supply to the college three times within a year as the college failed to pay electricity bills.

With the demand, the members of the union organised a four-day hunger strike that ended today after an assurance from education and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that he would look into the matter.

"The education minister is in New Delhi. He had informed us that he will look into the matter next Saturday or Sunday after returning to Guwahati," Dewri said.

He went on to add that they had also contacted minister of state (independent charge) for power, Pallab Lochan Das, yesterday.

"Das said he can look into the matter only if there is any connectivity problem or such other issues, but cannot help in giving subsidy. He advised us to contact the education minister," Dewri said.

"The problem began with formation of the APDCL. Earlier, the college or the students did not have to pay electricity bills."

The union also protested a move taken by the Cotton College State University to take over two hostels of the college - Mahendra Nath Deka Phukan Boys' Hostel and Swahid Mozammil Haque Boys' Hostel. At present, undergraduate students of Cotton College and post-graduate students of the university stay in these two hostels.

"Krishna Kanta Handique Boys' Hostel, exclusively for post-graduate students, has crossed 100 years. It is going to be renovated from next month as a heritage building. No student will be allowed to stay there during that period. That is why the university has decided to take over these two hostels. We protest the move," Dewri said.

"Today, a meeting was held between the university authorities, principal of Cotton College and the union. In the meeting it was decided that students of both undergraduate and post-graduate courses will continue to stay in these two hostels."

Cotton College now has seven boys and three girls' hostels.

Dewri said this year, 1,200 students took admission in various under-graduate courses but only 53 boys and 58 girls were allowed to stay in hostels.#