Forest clearances continue apace

A 6 metre wide road has been cleared through Auroville’s Northern Forest Area (NFA), in order to gain access to the area that has been earmarked for a 30 meter tall hill to be built from the soil excavated from the Matrimandir Lake. So far, 6 acres of land have been cleared at the hill site and approximately 10 more acres are earmarked for clearance in the future. Michael Bonke and the Matrimandir (MM) team are coordinating the project, which will see 1 million cubic meters of soil transported by lorry from the MM to the hill site over the next two years. This project threatens the forest sanctuary and wildlife in the area. Although the cleared areas will be replanted, concerns have been raised that it will not be possible to prevent development in that area now that there is a roadway.

There has been no consultation with the community about the hill and, as of now, no Environmental Impact Assessment on the project has been done. (More on this in a future issue of Auroville Today, eds.)

Meanwhile, the stewards of Revelation Forest have been informed that the Public Works Department will soon begin clearing the path for the Outer Ring Road through the Sanctuary, a portion of forest that was meant to be free from human intervention and that is home to several protected and endangered species.