Gauhati University clarifies on guest house project, says no 'VIP dining hall' planned

Gauhati University on Wednesday, July 8 clarified that the proposed construction work at its Guest House is aimed at expanding common facilities for visitors associated with the institution and that the reference to a "VIP Dining Hall" in an initial tender document was an inadvertent error that has since been corrected.

In an official statement, the university said the Guest House caters to a wide range of visitors, including members of selection committees, external examiners, viva voce experts, visiting faculty, resource persons, alumni, parents, students, delegates and guests attending academic, administrative and cultural programmes.

The university said the steady expansion of its academic and administrative activities has significantly increased the number of visitors, making the existing dining hall inadequate to meet current requirements. It also noted that the Guest House kitchen, store and staff accommodation have deteriorated over the years and require urgent upgradation.

To address these needs, the University Construction Committee approved the construction of a new dining hall along with a new kitchen, store and staff accommodation at the Gauhati University Guest House.

The university said that during the preparation of the tender documents, the expression "VIP Dining Hall" was inadvertently used in one of the documents. According to the clarification, the term was an unofficial internal reference that had historically been used for visiting professors, experts and other dignitaries staying at the Guest House and did not represent the scope or purpose of the project.

It said the error was identified and rectified in the Letter of Intent issued on June 24, 2026, where the project was correctly described as the construction of a dining hall at the Gauhati University Guest House.

The university further stated that it has sought an explanation from the Superintending Engineer (in-charge) of its Engineering Department regarding the inadvertent use of the incorrect terminology in the initial tender document.

Reiterating the objective of the project, Gauhati University said the infrastructure upgrade is solely intended to augment the Guest House's common facilities in view of increasing academic activities and should not be construed otherwise.