Gross negligence in urban planning alleged

On January 10, the members of L’Avenir d’Auroville, the Town Planning Council appointed by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-TDC), informed the community that it had sent a letter to high government officials addressing critical concerns about ongoing developments in the Auroville project area. The concerns are that the agreement between the Auroville Foundation and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) of the Government of India for the building of 11 radials roads lacks formal approval from planning authorities and from the Residents’ Assembly; that there is no financial transparency and no clarity on funding sources or expenditure; that projects such as the Matrimandir Lake and the demolishing of part of the Vikas Radial have proceeded without Detailed Development Plans (DDPs) or Environmental Impact Assessments, causing environmental damage, safety hazards, and community disruption; that these developments continue despite strong objections from the RA; and that the absence of participatory processes undermines Auroville’s collaborative values. The authorities have been urged to halt all ongoing and planned projects until these issues are resolved.