HYDERABAD: Capitalising on the COVID-19 crisis, a few private hostels in the city are fleecing students and unemployed youth. Several students, who had moved out of the hostel during the lockdown, claimed that the managements have asked them to pay half the monthly rent for the three-month lockdown period, despite their absence.
This is an additional burden on youngsters from the poor and marginalised sections, who are already struggling to make ends meet during these trying times. Anjum, a final-year B-Tech student who stays in a private hostel in Ameerpet, was asked to vacate the hostel at a short notice after the imposition of the COVID-induced lockdown.
As there were restrictions on public and private transportation, she reached home with great difficulty. She, however, had left two of her bags in the hostel. “When the hostel management demanded that we leave immediately, I grabbed a few bags and left the rest in the room. I couldn’t carry all my luggage due to difficulty in transporting them.
Now, the hostel manager is demanding that I pay half of my hostel fee for three months because I left my bags behind. If I didn’t stay or eat here, why should I pay the fee?” asked Anjum. The hostel fees range from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 (or more) depending on the services provided.
Anjum added that her hostel manager demanded Rs 7,000 from her, when she called her to inform her about the rejoining date. Needless to say, Anjum’s case isn’t an isolated example. Hundreds of students and unemployed youth are going through the same. When contacted, Laxmi, a hostel manager, said, “We run the hostel in a rented building. We have to pay rent for three months, which is around Rs 2 lakhs per month. With no income for the last two and a half months and no signs of full strength, we are left with no other option but to demand rent from hostellers.”