IIT Delhi Fee Hike: Students claim they are paying salaries for mess workers, ask for alternative

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) students have raised concerns about the increasing mess fees in the institute. According to students the average mess fee has been raised to around Rs 7,000 per month, which is more than most of the IITs, the students group that voices against the fee hike alleged.

The Board of Hotel Management (BHM), is an autonomous body, which coordinates the working of all the hostels and takes decisions on all policies. “BHM is a constituent body of the Student Affairs Council (SAC), as recognised under Article III-A2 of the SAC Constitution. The Dean of Students is the head of the hostel organisation," as per the IIT-D official website.

“Few students have said that the main reason is the mess staff salary component and the removal of subsidy from the salary components,” the students said. The continuous rise in mess fees has left students with no other option than to leave the hostel, they said.

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"BHM has around 45 permanent staff members with a handsome salary and some of the retired members also are provided with pension. The complete salary is now paid by the students," they claimed.

Earlier, the institute used to give 90% subsidy, however, it was reduced to 25% and now zero. Even though it get funds for non-teaching staff, the institute was strictly advised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) not to pay the mess workers salaries as it is not part of IIT-Delhi.

IIT Delhi mess fees has three parts - food and related costs, salary of mess workers, and others, which includes, mess utensils, maintenance, newspaper etc. One of the main reasons behind the rise in mess fees is inflation, due to which the cost of food items has been on a rise. However, the cost of breakfast, lunch and dinner is less than Rs 120 per day, the students claimed.

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If the cost for a month is Rs 120, a student will have to pay Rs 3,600. The current fees charged is Rs 7,000, as per the students group’s claim. They also clarified that Rs 8,000, which the students pay with academic fees was “wrongly” named earlier as “Hostel seat fees” and has now been renamed as “Institute Resident fee” and is not utilised by the BHM.

The students have suggested that the issue has to be brought before HRD or the concerned ministries. They have also asked if there is any alternative for BHM or “the fee will keep increasing exponentially”.