Agitation against hike in prospectus fee unjustified, says HPU

Shimla, Apr 25 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) today termed the agitation by a section of the students of the university against hike in the prospectus ''unjustified'' and said the additional revenue will be used for their betterment.

''The HPU's prospectus is priced at Rs 400 and also includes entrance test charges as against Rs 500 each by Maharishi Dayanand and Kurukshetra Universities, Rs 600 by Punjabi University, Rs 750 by Delhi's Indraprastha University and Rs 1,100 by Punjab University,'' dean of students Shiv Raj Singh said in a release here.

The university units of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) are protesting the institution's decision to hike the prospectus fee to Rs 400, saying the hike was ''phenomenal'' and against the interests of the student community.

Terming the university's decision to price its prospectus at Rs 400 as ''just'', he said even the most critical observer would not call it unjust since other institutions were charging a higher fee then them.

Besides, the additional revenue realised by the sale of these prospectus would be used for providing better facilities to the student community on the campus, Mr Singh said.

Urging the striking students to take back their agitation, he said they should not see the whole issue in terms of ''immediate populism'', but in a larger perspective and in terms of long-term interest of the institutions.

UNI