Report on Land Exchanges

The Working Committee constituted by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-WCom) has shared with the community extensive information regarding land exchanges and transactions that have taken place in the last two years. It submitted a detailed report, a spreadsheet with a list of land exchanges that have taken place since 2022, and the conservatively estimated value it believes Auroville has lost, and a map of the plots involved. The RA-WCom added that the exact extent and location of land exchanged on some plots is not precise and that it is only sharing what it knows, but that there may be other exchanges of which the RA-WCom is as yet unaware.

The RA-WCom stated that Auroville is facing governance and financial mismanagement challenges, including opaque and dubious land exchanges conducted by the Auroville Foundation’s Governing Board (GB) and related bodies. Its key concerns include (1) Lack of transparency in recent land exchanges, bypassing consultation with key committees and stakeholders; (2) Allegations of undervaluation of Auroville lands, resulting in significant financial losses. (estimated at more than ₹150 Crores or US $18 million); (3) Disregard for established procedures, including independent valuation and government approvals; and (4) Failure to uphold the principles of mandatory community (Residents’ Assembly) consultation and adherence to Auroville’s founding ideals.

The RA-WCom has requested government intervention to freeze ongoing land exchange deals and conduct independent investigations; has sent legal notices to authorities regarding violations of finance rules and lack of consultation; and has raised concerns about the secrecy surrounding land exchanges and conflicts of interest among involved parties. It has called for immediate intervention to halt all land exchanges and address malpractices in order to ensure transparency and adherence to proper processes and Auroville’s principles.