Room tariff of guest houses in Visva Bharati to go up from July

Kolkata: Come July 1 and the tourists at the guest houses under Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan will have to shell out more for lodging. The university has decided to increase the tariff of all six guest houses under its aegis, on the premises of the varsity campus.

According to university sources, Purba Palli, Ratan Kuthi, Sail International, Sri Niketan and Rathindra Atithi Griha are the major ones among the six guest houses. The President, Prime Minister or foreign guests who visit the university, stay at Rathindra Atithi Griha, which is known for its state-of-the-art facilities.

Ratan Kuthi is one of the oldest guest houses, which was set up in 1923, according to the model of the architecture of the university itself.

According to a source, the tariff of AC double bed room of Rathindra Atithi Griha will be raised from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, while that of a suite will increase from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. The rates for rooms at Ratan Kuthi will be increased from Rs 900 to Rs 1,400 for AC double bed rooms and from Rs 950 to Rs 1,100 for rooms at the annex building.

The rate for Sail Guest House will be hiked to Rs 1,000 from Rs 800 for double bed rooms and Rs 600 from Rs 500 for single bed rooms. Purba Palli Guest House's tariff will also go up from Rs 850 to Rs 1,000 for double bed rooms and the rates for international dormitory will be raised from Rs 100 to Rs 150. According to rules, a person lodging at these guest houses has to be an employee of the varsity or of the state or central government.

A spokesperson in the varsity said that hotels with the same facilities in Santiniketan have a much higher tariff in comparison to the guest houses.