Resentment has sparked among students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, over enhancement in fee structure, following which the NIT authorities have called a high-level meeting on Friday to sort out the issue.

The students, on the other hand, according to sources, have kept a close watch over the development and will chalk out their strategies after the decision of the NIT authorities.

Sources said the fee structure of NIT has been increased significantly in last five years. This year in particular, the annual fee structure, which was `70, 000 last year, has gone up to as high as ` 1, 25,000. The tution fees are increased by the Human Resource Development Ministry of Central Government where as the establishment and hostel fees etc are under the jurisdiction of the local management. The students of NIT Rourkela, however, have no issue over the rise of the fees by the Central Government, but they are protesting hike in local fees.

Sources said the mess charge has been doubled from `2,500 last year to `5,000 from each student this year.

Hundreds of students had staged a protest in front of NIT administrative office on Wednesday and demanded withdrawal of the same.

“Since increasing the fees on establishment account can be made only after board approval and with board of NIT Rourkela being non functional since last one year, it has been decided to collect this amount on mess charges at the moment, which, however, will be shifted to establishment after board’s approval,” said Prof BB Biswal, who is in-charge of Director, NIT Rourkela. “We have already in a short fall of over `3 crore, which is likely to be doubled if we do not collect this amount, during beginning of the session, since we do not have a system of collecting fee, later on,” Biswal added.