Lucknow: Lucknow University students on Tuesday blocked access outside Maitri Bhawan to protest the increase in Ranveer Singh Bisht Hostel’s annual fee from Rs 7,000 to Rs 25,000. Students said the revised charges, including an additional Rs 2,000 caution deposit, represented a nearly four-fold increase.Chief provost Aashees Awasthi defended the hike, saying the hostel had been renovated after two years. He said students would get upgraded facilities, including washing machines, new water coolers and new beds, tables and chairs, making it a “premium hostel.”Students, however, questioned the university’s claim of upgraded facilities calling it a “five-star suite”. Student leader Shubham Kharwar said, “This is not a five-star suite, it is still a hostel room. There are leakages everywhere, the paint has peeled off and the furniture is old. There are no water coolers and the hostel was inaugurated before all the work was completed.”Dean of students’ welfare Amita Kannaujiya told protesting students to seek funds from govt as the university does not have enough to address their demands.
