Lucknow University denies hostel mess fee hike, clarifies revision in refundable caution money

Lucknow University dismisses hostel mess fee hike rumors, clarifying no actual increase has occurred.

The Lucknow University administration on Saturday denied reports of a hike in hostel mess fees, terming the buzz over social media as misleading and incorrect.

LU campus (HT FIle)

In an official clarification, the university said no fee hike has been made in the mess charges. According to the university, the apparent difference in fee figures is due to a revision in refundable caution money.

₹1,000 caution money increase is refundable

For boys, the amount shown as ₹37,738 to ₹40,000 and for girls, ₹29,192 to ₹32,000 includes an increase in caution money from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000. The university clarified that this ₹1,000 increase is fully refundable and will be returned to students at the time of leaving the hostel/mess. Therefore, it cannot be considered as an actual fee hike, spokesperson prof Mukul Srivastava said.

As for the remaining difference, the university said it will be adjusted as per the official rates to be approved in the upcoming new mess tender, as per rules, said the spokesperson.

Students can seek permission to pay in instalments

Besides, the university administration has clarified that hostel fees for the current session will have to be deposited in one go (lump sum). If any student faces difficulty in depositing the full fee at once, he/she can get permission to pay in two installments by submitting an application. The student will have to send his/her application through the Provost to the ‘Hostel Allotment Committee’ which will be followed by a scrutiny and approval - if the student’s problem is found to be genuine, the application will be forwarded to the vice-chancellor. Permission to deposit the fee in two installments will be granted only after approval from the vice-chancellor, Srivastava said.