Cuttack: Ravenshaw Bikash Abhijan (RBA) has hit the street in protest against the university's fee hike for self-financing courses.

The RBA, constituting of city-based social and political activists and former student leaders of the Ravenshaw University, is organising street corner meetings in various parts of the city "to create awareness among the people over the issue".

RBA president Chittaranjan Mohanty said: "We have been holding street corner meetings at various important locations along the main roads of the city. We plan to cover all the major locations of the city by June 9."

The street corner meetings are being held between 5pm and 8pm every day.

The RBA members are trying to highlight that the sweeping hike in fees for self-financing courses and the introduction of self-financing seats by increasing number of seats is "tantamount to privatisation of education" in the university.

So far, the RBA has held street corner meetings at more than 15 locations, including College Square, Ranihaat, Mangalabag, Buxi Bazaar, Tinikonia Bagicha, Badambadi and Malgodown. "We have called a mass convention at Sarala Bhavan on June 9 where people from all walks of life will take part and deliberate on the issue," said RBA member and Gandhian social worker Prasant Das.

The Cuttack Mahanagar Shanti Committee and various puja committees, bar associations, traders' bodies, teachers' associations and other organisations have been invited to take part in the mass convention that the RBA has christened as "Ravenshaw Banchao Convention".

"We will submit our demands to the state government based on the outcome of the convention," said RBA member and journalist Satya Ray.

On the other hand, the university sources said that the institution was run mostly from the income generated from various self-financing courses.