Acres for Auroville (Letters)

Dear Auroville Today Team,

Thanks very much for publishing ‘Acres for Auroville’ campaign as a lead article in May-June 2014 issue of Auroville Today. This has indeed helped spread the word and we have started receiving queries and contributions from the friends and well-wishers of Auroville. While we individually thank each contributor, we would also like to thank through Auroville Today all who has responded or showed interest in the cause. We would also like to point out that while the focus of the campaign is Matrimandir area (the City Centre) and the International Zone, we regard it only as the first phase of a bigger challenge. All of the lands in the City area and the maximum possible in the Green Belt must be our target if we really seek the marvellous possibilities of Auroville for the good of Tamil Nadu, India and the world is to manifest.

Dear Auroville Today Team,

In your last issue you announced a fund-raising campaign, ‘Acres for Auroville’, to protect and purchase land in the Matrimandir area and in the International Zone. The spirit and motivation of this campaign comes from loyal friends of Auroville.

Still, I have some reflections and suggestions to make upon this:

1. According to available figures, the number of acres needed to be purchased in the Matrimandir area and the International Zone is around 15 acres, and the present estimation of the value of the land at around 50 lakhs per acre. This makes 7.5 crores as the amount needed for acquiring the total area, which is 1 million euros, or 1.2 million dollars. Concerning the City area in general, the value of the village land remaining to be purchased is much more than 6 million US dollars. A daunting amount of money!

2. Why have less than 3 acres have been purchased inside the City area within the last 3 years? Because the villagers are aware that the value of their land is going to increase dramatically and they are refusing to sell. However, these landowners are willing to consider exchanging their land with land outside the Master Plan area, as long as the value of that land has also the potential to increase in value.

This is why I believe that our efforts should be concentrated on purchasing lands outside the Master Plan area with the purpose to exchange them with much-needed land in the International Zone and beyond.