All the students (boys and girls) of first year (all branches) brave the hot sun and hit streets to protest the exorbitant hike.
Nagpur: In an unprecedented move, the management of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) Nagpur, also referred to as VNIT Nagpur, which is ranked among the best fifteen engineering colleges in India, has suddenly hiked the hostel fees by Rs 10,000/- (Rupees Ten Thousand) under the title “Allied Fees”. No explanation was offered for the hike in the fees.
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Tuesday 04 Feb. 2025
Two days ago, i.e. April 7, 2015, when a delegation of five student representatives went to enquire about the hike in the hostel fees, the justification of the hike, these students were curtly answered with “We don’t know” and “Only Director knows”.
To add salt to the injury, a notice was displayed the very next day on all notice boards that this fees which is to be paid in full has to be paid by April 10, 2015. To add to that the notice clearly said that the five student representatives (who had gone to enquire from the authorities the justification for the hike), will not be included in the hostel admission process. This clearly shows an autocratic and dictatorial kind of administration, instead of the democratic one which is expected of an institute of such high repute, said the students.
Most of the students of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur live in the campus. VNIT has over 12 Men’s hostels and 2 Women’s hostels.
When the students demanded the reason for this hike, some of the authorities claimed that this is being recovered to meet Maintenance and Security expenses. However, some of the senior students on condition of anonymity claimed that these expenses were included earlier too, why suddenly the hike?
The irony is that when the whole first year students are sitting in the sun to protest the hike, no authorities came to pacify them or to even talk to them about the hike. The Dean, Students’ Welfare, G P Singh and Chief Warden Lataye just came once to tell them that this hike is justified and that nothing can be done about this.
Since the Institute has a University status, VNIT operates with complete autonomy in financial, academic and administrative matters. The institute’s Board of Governors manages the Institute. The Board has representatives from the Government of India, Government of Maharashtra, and All India Council for Technical Education, University Grants Commission, the institute’s faculty and illustrious Indian Scientists or Technologists.
Many other autocratic and dictatorial kind of administration is said to be in operation at VNIT. Recently, a professor’s son who was drunk was driving a car rashly within the campus. He had also hit one of students. The medical officer of the campus found him drunk. When the students complained to the authorities, they were told that the father of the drunken youth is a very senior professor of the college and going against him will cause many students the trouble and even cost the allocation of marks. The management had done everything to suppress the matter at all costs.
Till the time of filing the report, the students informed that a meeting has been scheduled on April 10, 2015 to sort out the matter, as reported was filled sources told NT that matters has been resolved and student and called off strike
