Ranchi: Hundreds of students of the Central University of Jharkhand (CUJ) staged a dharna outside the institution’s gate on Sunday, demanding the withdrawal of a proposed hike in mess fees and representation in deciding the menu.Two students, Mrityunjaya Kumar and Ankit Kumar, began an indefinite fast at the protest site.Rohit, one of the protesters, said the monthly mess fee, currently around Rs 3,000, would be increased to Rs 3,700, plus GST, from September. He said the food served at the mess was basic and students were not allowed to participate in decisions related to changes in the menu.CUJ Dean of Students’ Welfare Anurag Linda said the contract for providing four meals a day at Rs 3,000 per month had been awarded about one-and-a-half years ago. Under the new contract, he said, the fee had been increased because of the rise in the prices of raw materials and efforts to improve food quality.“Student representatives were also consulted during the discussions on fixing the prices,” Linda said.The protesting students, however, claimed that they had not been represented. Efforts were being made to end the protest, while senior officials from the DSW department were present at the site.
