Issue Nº388 – News in brief

Lockdown restrictions in India are being lifting in increments. The Indian government has announced that certain categories of tourist visas will become available soon.

After some time with no positive COVID cases in Auroville, five Aurovilians contracted COVID 19 in October (as recorded by the Santé Coordination team). They finished their quarantine period with support from the Santé team.

Rainfall in the months of July and August (the south-west monsoon) was significantly higher than average (163 & 198 mm compared to the average of 73 & 129 mm). The month of September was slightly higher than average (148 mm vs 138 mm average), while October was falling behind average rainfall by the time of going to press (222 mm vs the average of 252 mm). The north-east monsoon, which normally arrives in November (but this year arrived ion October 26th) typically has the highest rainfall of all (an average of 367 mm).

Rainfall is quite localised in Auroville, reflected in the fact that two Auroville observation stations in different parts of the community have already logged more than the average rainfall for the whole year, while the figures at Aurogreen community show that we are still just below.

The Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC) has responded to a number of questions posed by residents during the ATDC’s presentation concerning the Crown on September 10th in short video clips posted on Youtube. see: https://tinyurl.com/ytm3jh9s

At the end of October, an Aadhar Card Camp was organised in Auroville for two days for holders of Entry Visa, Indian Aurovilians and Overseas Citizens of India.

A total of 343 registered residents participated in an Emergency Residents Assembly Decision (RAD) called by the Working Committee to decide if a so-called Provisional RAD process is to be used until a new RAD process is in place, which, it is hoped, will manifest within 9 months. The number of participants exceeded the 10 per cent quorum required to validate the decision (239 votes), as the total adult population eligible to participate in RADs (aged above 18 years) was 2387 in October. The proposal was accepted with 73% (250) Aurovilians agreeing.

On the instruction of the Auroville Foundation, a Vodafone antenna tower was installed on the roof of Mitra Hostel, in the densely residential area nearby the Town Hall. Residents expressed their concerns to the Auroville Foundation, complaining about the lack of consultation as well as potential health risks. No alternative solution was found, and the tower was installed and is now operational.