The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) student collective Chintabar has written to the dean of students and director V Kamakoti of the institute, asking for an extension of the deadline and permission for students to pay their hostel fees in instalments. The request was made this morning after several students got an email from the chairman of the Council of Wardens (CCW) citing that their registration for the mess had been terminated because their hostel payments were still outstanding.
“The mail also contains a threat that students’ hostel rooms will be locked if mess registration is not completed. It is to be noted that the email was sent on yesterday night leaving students uncertain about their breakfast. It is very disheartening to learn about such an antagonistic attitude towards students of the institute. Unlike previous semesters the summer vacation fee is also included in the fee circular sent to students for January-May 2024,” the students wrote in the mail.
The student collective Chintabar further stated that many students may not be able to clear the hostel fees upfront, and requested IIT Madras director V Kamakoti to direct the Office of Hostel Management (OHM) to allow the students to pay the hostel fee in instalments with a prolonged deadline to ease the “financial burden on students”.
Under the condition of anonymity, a research scholar at IIT Madras and member of the student body Chintabar told news18.com that on January 17, the institute’s students staged a protest in this matter. They made several demands during this demonstration, including a revision of the Ph.D guidelines and the possibility for students to pay their hostel fees in instalments.
Shortly after the student protests, the authorities complied with some of their requests. The dean announced that students will be given appropriate and sufficient time to pay in instalments with regard to advance payment of the hostel and mess fees.
IIT Madras Dean Sarathi R urged the students to eat in the hostel mess, where they had previously dined. He further said, “Sincere apologies for the confusion on mess allotment. OHM (Office of Hostel Management) will assign the mess based on your (the students’) preferences by today evening. In case sufficient food is not provided, I request you to dine in another mess, to your choice.”
IIT Madras Hostel Fees
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras) has 20 hostels, each named after the rivers of India. Out of these, there are five hostels for female students and fifteen for male students.
The OHM released a circular on December 18, 2023, detailing hostel prices for B.Tech, dual degree, MA, M.Sc, MBA, and M.Tech students in 2022-23 and earlier batches for January – May 2024. The hostel fees for general category students are Rs 35,841, while those in SC, ST with Scholarship only category must pay Rs 18,075. According to the statement, Rs 17,766 would be collected from the scholarship department as part of the advance meal expenses.
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