New approach to land protection

Until now the approach proposed by the Tamil Nadu Govt to Auroville has been to constitute first of all an authority (NTDA), make a development plan, and then carry out a public consultation. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of Tamil Nadu has now proposed that, as a first step, there should be a land use map for the Master Plan area, followed by a public consultation. The process could culminate with the local authority, in collaboration with the Auroville Foundation, having the power to issue No Objection Certificates within the Master Plan. The legal and administrative implications of the new proposal as well as the NTDA are being studied.