VIP Road: removal of farms

In an open letter to the Farm Service, the FO FAMC and the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation, Auroville farmers raised their concern as to the announcement that three farm areas (Buddha Garden, Siddhartha and Shambala) are to be removed to make place for a road, parking lots and convenience facilities for a planned VIP road, a road which is not mentioned in the gazetted Master Plan. The farmers, while acknowledging that a bypass road around the village of Edayanchavadi may be needed, observed that the removal of the farms will be a loss for Auroville's agricultural sustainability and productivity and so be in direct contradiction to statements made about wanting to increase agricultural production in Auroville. While not objecting to the road in principle, the farmers said that the proposal should have been discussed with the farm group, and that a proper plan for relocating these farms should be made so that their activities are not lost for the community.