For years, the Women Graduates' Union (WGU) hostel despite demanding a 55 per cent cut from a woman's salary has remained a much sought-after address for those trickling into Mumbai to pursue a career. The unrealistic demand hardly drew any protests since the minimum salary for eligibility was maintained at Rs 3,500. Last year the limit was raised to Rs 4,000.

However, what has got the goat of several working women and inmates is the hostel's recent decision to hike the minimum slab to Rs 7,000. In fact, for the women who are already in, the hostel will draw lots onthe basis of their increments after every 11 months to decide who stays in and who goes out, said hostel inmates on condition of anonymity. They were asked to furnish their fresh salary certificates by June 1 and the lucky ones will now get rooms according to the salaries they draw. The rest have been politely asked to look out for alternate arrangements.

Hostel officials refused to comment or furnish phone numbers of its committee members when contacted by Express Newsline.

The WGU hostel houses almost 100 inmates. Located bang opposite the Colaba BEST bus depot, it has always been known to be ``working woman friendly'' for the kind of amenities, food and flexible timings it provides.

According to the inmates, the authorities have justified the fee hike saying that they are finding it difficult to run the hostel with the ``low fee structure''. Interestingly, other reputed women's hostels in the city are charging fees that are much lower and common for all inmates.

``Most girls in this hostelare forced to produce fake certificates showing low salaries to satisfy the hostel's demand for a 55 per cent cut from our incomes. The authorities are fully aware of this and hence the hike, which will now force us to show higher salaries. But why this discrimination? If they want more money why can't they just state a fixed amount in the prospectus,'' says an indignant hostelite.

``The WGU must stop discriminating and humiliating women under the guise of a working women's hostel,'' says another girl who was denied admission because she drew a monthly salary of Rs 5,000. ``I applied in November last year because I was told the minimum slab was Rs 4,000. During the interview, the committee members asked me how I could carry on in a city like Mumbai with such a low salary.

They told me that I would be kept on a waiting list. When I failed to get a call for three months, I decided to go to the hostel and check out for myself. When the register was taken out, I saw red cross marks against my name and otherswho had stated their salaries as Rs 4,000 or Rs 5,000. Only those with higher salaries had been put in the waiting list. When I began arguing, I was told that my arriving at 10 p.m. every night was not acceptable to them. This despite the fact that the hostel allows women to return by 12 a.m. everyday,'' she said.

Inmates complain that the hostel is enacting a farce since most of the women who live here are those who earn in the range of Rs 20,000 and above. ``They will gladly produce a fake certificate showing Rs 7,000 as their income. The hostel is doing no service for working women who are actually in need of a shelter and cannot afford to live as paying guests or in rented flats in this area.''

For women who are already in, the hostel has decided to hike the rates from September onwards following a spate of protests. Says another girl from Bangalore who was forced to shift to another hostel, ``We come to this city with dreams in our eyes ready to work to our bones to make it big. Our parents are atpeace back home thinking we are safe in a reputed hostel. What does one do when people who are responsible for our safety look for ways and means to throw us out for the sake of money?''