Students of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, will not have to pay the mess advance and water and electricity charges this semester, an institute official said.

The decision was taken at a meeting the students’ senate had with institute director Parthasarathi Chakrabarty on Thursday afternoon.

Ever since the institute announced that classes will be held online from August 24, students have been demanding that mess and hostel fees be waived as they would not use these facilities, the official said.

The Shibpur institute is entirely residential. “The fees will be charged proportionately if the campus reopens this semester,” he said.

At the start of the semester, students are required to pay Rs 17,500 as mess advance, Rs 3,000 as mess entrance fee, Rs 1,000 as seat rent, and Rs 800 as electricity and water charges.

“In addition, the students activities fee of Rs 500 has been waived and the infrastructure fee has been brought down to Rs 1,000 from Rs 2,500,” director Chakrabarti said.

But students will have to pay the hostel maintenance charge of Rs 2,200 and mess establishment fee of Rs 4,000 though they will stay at home this semester.

These fees are a must so that members of the hostel staff who are temporary workers continue to get some support during the pandemic.

At IIEST, students were asked to vacate hostels in the third week of March after the Centre announced the lockdown.

“Chances of the campus reopening this semester are extremely slim. So, why will we pay for the hostel and mess?” a student asked.

The institute will issue a notice this week regarding the extent of relaxation.

Another institute official said the decision on waiving certain fees at IIT Kharagpur prompted IIEST students to demand a similar relaxation.

The Kharagpur institute had waived mess fees and hostel overhead charges, along with some other charges, on July 21, following a demand for exemption from students.

The students had cited online classes as the reason behind their demand.

The students’ senate — the official representative body of the IIT Kharagpur student community — had written to the dean of students’ affairs, demanding that mess fees and hostel overhead charges be waived.

“The move must have motivated our students. Besides, the argument of financial loss cannot be ruled out. Students, though, have to keep paying the tuition fees and examination fees as fixed by the Centre,” the IIEST official said.