Minutes of the 68th Governing Board meeting

Opening remarks

In his opening remarks, Shri R. N. Ravi, Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu and Chairman of the Auroville Foundation, warmly welcomed Shri K. Kailashnathan, Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Puducherry, as a Member of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation. He then gave a brief recap of the road travelled by the current GB which was formed in the year 2021. He lamented that over a period Auroville has tended towards an antithesis of its core objectives. Instead of a place for sadhkas and devotees of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, it became a refuge for some persons with vested interests. The current GB with a deep sense of their responsibility took initiatives to try and bring Auroville back to the intended mission. The task in hand was two-fold. One the physical manifestation of Auroville according to the dream of its founder, The Mother, and the other its spiritual evolution.

There was a Master Plan of Auroville before the GB and the GB deliberated into why it was not implemented even after many decades. On scrutiny of minutes of the earlier GB meetings it transpired that from time to time the GBs exhorted the Aurovilians to work towards the implementation of the Master Plan in meetings after meetings. The Chairperson observed that he himself had met more than half of the Aurovilians either collectively or individually both at Auroville and at Chennai. The Mother formulated the Master Plan as per the dreams of Sri Aurobindo described in The Life Divine. Persons with vested interests started interpreting Mother after her departure, according to their whims.

The current GB started implementing the Master Plan, however it was met with obstructions in various forms including litigations. The challenges were met legally and the GB proceeded with determination towards fulfilling the dreams of The Mother, the implementation of the Master Plan. The Chairperson and then GB members continued meeting the Aurovilians individually and collectively to take their opinion as forging a consensus seeking their co-operation in the manifestation of Auroville in the best possible manner.

During the course, the GB also realised that there are a few loopholes and ambiguities in the Acts, Rules and Regulations which were being exploited by vested interests. The GB is making efforts to remove the shortcomings in the Act and Rules. He also stated that earlier GBs used to meet once or twice a year, however when the current GB took charge, it began meeting at least once a quarter so as to remain grounded here in Auroville. The GB has been taking everyone on board, viz International Advisory Committee and the residents as far as possible. However, a minority of Aurovilians choose their own path and create a series of obstructions.

The Secretary, in her brief remarks, stated that Sri Aurobindo gave us The Secret of the Veda to have abundance, prosperity, beauty and aesthetics, all of which can be achieved while living in this world, yet do it with consciousness, and the city was meant for that purpose. While formulating the Master Plan, The Mother gave a complete blueprint and did not leave anything to the imagination of others. The City has been conceived in such a way that it could be assembled as a jigsaw puzzle. In the year 1968 The Mother wanted that the City should be completed within ten years; however even after 57 years the city has not yet taken a definite shape. The Mother planned the city for a population of 50,000 people, however, now it has less than 2,000 persons which is akin to a village panchayat in India. She thanked the current GB for its unwavering support and assured that soon the City will have a definite footprint viz the crown road, radial roads and the outer ring road etc. She briefly mentioned about the framing of Admission and Termination Regulations for induction of new Aurovilians, Working Committee Regulations to streamline the formation of the Working Committee etc. She also mentioned about the efforts made by the Foundation in centralising of accounts of all the nearly 800 units of Auroville through a common ERP [an Enterprise Resource Planning software, eds.] solution.

Considerations and decisions

1. Case studies

The Secretary reported that in addition to IIT Kharagpur and IIT Mumbai, IIT Ahmadabad and the National Law School, Bangalore, have been engaged to undertake case studies. The teams of IIT Kharagpur and IIT Mumbai visited Auroville in November last year. Their reports will be available by February 2025. It was clarified that these institutions approached Auroville to document the current point of inflection in the City of Dawn. It was also noted that these would document the origin and the vision of Auroville, what happened during the past more than 55 years and the initiatives of the current GB in reinvigorating the efforts to realise the City.

2. Communication regarding land exchanges

The Ministry of Education has forwarded complaints regarding land exchanges and other matters relating to the Auroville Foundation and another one regarding the dog shelter. The Foundation has furnished appropriate replies to the Ministry.

3. Land erosion at Sri Ma community

The Board noted the huge sea erosion threatening the Sri Ma community and the efforts of the Public Works department to protect it by dumping boulders, a work which was stopped due to protests from neighbouring villages which feared this would cause erosion in their villages. The Board was informed that the Foundation had approached the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) which had earlier restored the beach in Pondicherry and is now involved in developing the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) for restoring the entire coastline of Puducherry. The proposal of the NCCR is roughly Rs 2 crores, which, according to NCCR, can be integrated with the larger SMP of Puducherry. Auroville Foundation has also obtained a proposal from TechFab, a private firm, for a Gabion wall at an estimated Rs 4.5 crore. Auroville Foundation has requested the Government of Puducherry for integrating one of these proposals within the larger SMP of Puducherry, currently under preparation, which is mandatory for any shoreline work to be implemented. The Board gave in principle approval for this work.

4. Integral Skills Development Centre

The Board accorded in principle approval for the proposed Centre for imparting various skills to Aurovilians and outsiders.

5. Auroville Media Policy 2024

The Board approved the Media Policy of the Auroville Foundation.

6. Amendments to Auroville Foundation Act and Rules

The Board discussed the need for amendments to remove the anomalies in them which are misused by a section of the Auroville community to stall the realisation of the city and the growth of Auroville. The Board approved the amendments for submission to the Ministry of Education for their appropriate action for processing amendments to the Act and Rules.

7. Allocation of site for dog shelter

The Board decided that the dog shelter will continue at its present location with the existing facilities. Infrastructure facilities proposed for the Shelter will be submitted to the GB in its next meeting once funds have been allocated for the purpose by the Ministry.

8. Joint collaboration with Sri Aurobindo Ashram devotees

The Board approved the proposal for a collaboration between the Auroville Foundation and Sri Aurobindo Ashram devotees for the realisation of various projects.

9. Looking into complaints

The Board decided that retired officers of All India Services, Central Government Departments and Institutions, Revenue Department, Police Department and CAG may be engaged on honorarium basis to assist the administration of the Foundation to look into specific allegations brought out in the various complaints such as the Madan Gopal Committee, audit report of the O/o Principal Controller of Accounts, MoE and Forensic accounts, as well as such similar audits that are to be taken up as required for ensuring compliances and to take them to logical conclusions.

10. Sector plans

The Board noted that Detailed Plans are to be prepared for Sector Plans and Infrastructure Plans for the various Zones. A team of experts will be engaged on contractual basis for a period of one year for preparing the various plan documents. The Board approved the expenditure of Rs 52.5 lakhs.

11. Staff quarters

The Board accorded in principle approval for the construction of 28 staff quarters up to type VI and directed the Central Public Works Department to re-submit a revised estimate with full scope of 30 quarters including type VII and VIII to the next GB meeting.

12. Auroville Public Space Service

The Board gave in principle approval for the formation of the Auroville Public Space Service, for the maintenance of public services such as Water, Electricity, Road and Green areas. The Service will function under the control of the Secretary, Auroville Foundation. The expenditure on account of these services will be met through government grants for which a proposal will be submitted in the next meeting of the Board.

13. Auroville communication service

The Board directed that Aurinoco shall be subsumed in the Auroville Telephone Service. While according in-principle approval to the proposal submitted for Rs 19.8 crores, the GB also suggested exploring alternative funding through BharatNet project. The Board advised engaging the service of a retired BSNL officer to execute the said work.

14. Auroville Consulting – UNEP project

The Board approved the 3-year project of Auroville Consulting to provide technical assistance to designated state and city agencies for capacity building. The project is funded by the United Nations Environment Programme and has a total budget of US $ 300,000.

15. Admission and Termination Registry (ATR) and Admission and Termination Scrutinising Committee (ATSC)

The Board noted that in view of the pending court cases relating to Regulations, it is not possible to induct new residents. However, 250 Newcomers are waiting for a long time to become residents. It is proposed to extend facilities as available to the residents to Newcomers. At the same time, amongst these Newcomers, there are a few who have been found to have violated the criteria to be a resident or of the established guidelines and regulations of Auroville such as blocking development activities and engaging in outside business activities in violation of visa conditions etc. The Board approved the nomination to the ATSC of 5 persons including one member of the Board and of 3 persons to the ATR.

16. Formation of the Donation Channeling Committee

The Board noted that a Donation Channeling Committee had been formed to monitor the proper receipt and expenditure of donations received from India and abroad. The Committee consists of the Secretary, two GB members and the Officer on Special Duty of the Auroville Foundation.

17. Auroville Liaison Office in New Delhi

The Board had already approved the setting up of a liaison office in New Delhi. The Foundation has now identified a space at Sri Ramayan Vidapeeth in the Institutional Area, Lodhi Road. The site is located in central Delhi, in close proximity to government offices and ministries. The proximity is expected to significantly facilitate the Foundation’s administrative, coordination and engagement efforts with relevant authorities and allied institutions such as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. The Board approved the proposal.

18. Chief Security Officer

The Board approved the engagement of two retired police officers, one for handling visa related matters and the other for security and law and order and liaising with local police authorities.

19. Due diligence procedure for land exchange

The issue of acquiring land from private landowners who own land in the City and Greenbelt areas of Auroville in exchange for outlying lands has been raised by several individuals in the past. The repeated allegations levelled by these individuals have created a perception that the current process of land exchange followed by the Foundation has resulted in a huge loss for Auroville. The Board felt that there was a need to address these perceptions in a credible and transparent matter. The Board therefore decided to form a one-member committee by a retired High Court judge to look into the allegations and furnish a report to the Board. The Board approved the Terms of Reference of this Committee, which include to record the process of land acquisition followed by the Auroville Foundation since 1991; whether the existing process of land acquisition is adequate, eg whether it complies with the requirements of the Master Plan, Government Orders issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Government of India; whether the existing checks and balances in the process is adequate to ensure objectivity; if the extant process has shortcomings suggested for future land acquisitions; suggestions to quicken the process of land acquisitions; whether the process of acquiring land over all these years have resulted in a loss to the Auroville Foundation. The Committee shall furnish its report to the Chairman within three months after its formation.

20. Trusts, Units and Activities Regulations

The Board approved the draft Regulations; the Board was informed that the draft will be forwarded to the Ministry for their further considerations and approval.

21. Double assets

The Board appreciated the efforts taken by the Auroville Foundation to ensure that the residents occupying double assets are vacated. The Board advised that due process may be followed in getting the defaulters vacated.

22. Pending City Services dues

The Board noted the huge default in payment towards the monthly contribution by several Aurovilians and advised the Foundation to initiate appropriate action through the FAMC to get the dues collected.

23. Residents on business visa and residents doing business outside the Foundation

The Board approved the following action. (1) The residents holding business visa or doing business outside will be directed to furnish written explanation on their visa status to the Foundation Office and if they wish to continue to hold a business visa and conduct business outside they will be taken out of the Register of Residents and will have to reapply when they wish to join Auroville. If the resident wishes to continue as a resident and change visa status to comply with the Auroville Residence Criteria, or close down his outside business activities, they will be given 6 months time to regulate the same during which time their names are suspended from the Register of Residents.

24. Issues of non-compliance, violations and irregularities

The Board empowered the Officer of Special Duty to take all necessary steps and measures to address issues of non-compliance, violations and irregularities and issue necessary directions and orders to the residents to ensure compliance, under the overall supervision of the Secretary. The Board noted that some of the violations are of a serious nature, including violence, withholding of Auroville assets, building without authorisation, visa violation, owning land in the Master Plan area of Auroville and many others which need to be taken suo-moto cognisance of and acted upon, giving due opportunity for the violating residents to offer evidence to the contrary and/or correct course, following all principles of natural justice. This is especially important as a course-correction in Auroville so that Auroville may develop further without the shadow of the unsavoury past dogging its move into the future, with its current residents in alignment with its aims and ideals, to be an example to the residents of the future who are waiting to join Auroville and participate in manifesting this City of the Future.

The full minutes can be read at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RmMSntrsLd4qkHqqvGN5fduAwBcGhh7/view