Students of Delhi University’s Undergraduate Hostel for Girls (UGHG) on Monday slammed the hostel’s notice, which has asked them to submit fees for the lockdown months and vacate the premises.
The hostel had earlier put up a notice on its website, informing residents that the administration has decided to have the hostel vacated immediately. Additionally, for the period starting April 1, the administration would charge ₹1,000 per month as a portion of the total fee.
The students said they would not be able to come to the hostel from their hometown at this time and called the move “unfair”. Ritika Rana, a resident of the hostel, said she had left for home in Himachal Pradesh during the mid-semester break in March. She said it would not be possible for her to return to hostel to vacate her room as the travel would be “expensive”. She said the university should refund the money instead of asking for additional fees.
Another student, Sneha (name changed), a BA political science student at DU, who belongs to Maharashtra, said it would be impossible for her to vacate her room. She said it was wrong on the part of the hostel authorities to demand the same on the pretext of “whitewashing hostel”.
Started petition
The students have started a petition, which has gathered nearly 800 signatures in a day.
The hostel authorities issued a clarification on Monday, withdrawing the previous notice. In a new post on their website, they asked students to “discuss among themselves” to determine an amount that ought to be deducted from their security deposit that may be used to pay various expenses of running the institution during the lockdown. They also clarified that it was necessary to vacate the hostel rooms, especially for students not living in the city.
