Issue Nº421 – News in brief

The Working Committee selected by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-WCom) called for an emergency decision of the Residents’ Assembly (RAD) regarding the sales and exchanges of Auroville owned lands. The RA-WCom alleged that the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation (GB) has approved the proposal by the Secretary to exchange all Auroville lands outside the Master Plan area, totaling 1054 acres. This information had already been shared with the community in January of this year and started circulating again on the day of the most recent meeting of the GB, which took place on the 31st of May. The minutes of this meeting have not yet been published.

The RA Wcom stated that the land sales and exchanges will impact all Aurovilians on various levels, cause irreparable damage to Auroville’s physical body and will incur the loss of a number of areas of historical significance. It recalled that since 2022 there have been an unprecedented number of land exchanges that have been carried out by the current Secretary and her appointees with the approval of the GB, and that all these exchanges have been carried out without transparency or due process and without any consultation with those living and working on these lands. The RA-WCom stated that these exchanges have resulted in a conservatively estimated loss of over INR 200 crores (USD 24 million) to Auroville, in addition to the loss of important parts of Auroville’s physical body and legacy.

On July 8th, the Auroville Residents' Assembly Service (RAS), which is charged with Emergency RAD processes, reported that the community had approved the following resolution: “(1) An immediate pause on any further sale or exchange of Auroville properties; (2) A thorough review of the land deals undertaken by the current Secretary and authorized by the Governing Board, with a focus on reversal and restitution for any wrongful transactions; (3) A comprehensive investigation into all land exchanges conducted by the current administration since 2022; and (4) That future land deals are to be made with all due process, respecting the Auroville Foundation Act and its three authorities, namely the RA, the International Advisory Council (IAC) and the GB, and Indian law. These are necessary steps to protect Auroville's land and ensure its use aligns with the original purpose and ideals of peace and human unity.”

The RAS stated that a total of 945 valid votes have been submitted online and in-person, which exceeded the 10% quorum required for validating the decision (240 votes). 98,7% (933) participants voted in favour of the above resolutions, 0,4% (4) participants rejected it while 0,9% (8) participants didn't know.

In a message to the community, the Working Committee supported by the GB (GB-WCom), now consisting of five members, claimed that this RAD will be "catastrophic for Auroville". This view was contested by both the RA-WCom and the Auroville Council (AVC), which replied in a joint statement that land consolidation is an important goal but must be done transparently, ethically, and in accordance with the Indian laws, the Auroville Foundation Rules, 1997 and the Due Diligence Procedure (SOP) approved by a previous Secretary which was in use until 2021. They stated that recent exchanges have not met these standards causing significant financial losses to Auroville.

Residents of Felicity and Happiness, two outlying communities having a population of about 20 to 30 residents, have informed the RA-WCom that they are facing challenges since they learned in March of this year that a prime parcel of land of approximately an acre and a half which faces the old Auroville Road had been exchanged for land in the Master Plan area. The communities’ water line, water tank, electricity line, and access road are located on this land.

Alarmed by this exchange, of which they had not been informed, the residents contacted the Land Board which promised them verbally and multiple times that they would update the legal document and keep the electricity line and the water access out of the exchanged land parcel and that the land board would build a new access road and a new entrance for these two communities.

The Land Board started building a new access road but this work was not complete when the new landowner abruptly closed off access to Felicity, installed a new chain link fence, locked the gate and summoned the police to warn residents against entering his land. The residents also learned from the new landowner that he plans to fence off the water line, water tank, and electricity line, in contradiction to the promises made by the Land Board.

The residents complained that the Land Board has either repeatedly and willfully misled them or is simply incompetent and unable to match its words to its actions. They also complained about the dismissive and contemptuous way the Land Board has responded to the residents: calls are not answered, and emails are not acknowledged or responded to. In meetings with the residents, the Land Board stated that the residents have no standing; that the Land Board has the right to proceed as they see fit; and that the residents’ concerns amount to a violation of the purpose of Auroville. The residents are objecting to “the opaque and insolent outlook of formal bodies” and question if “the willful misdirection, incompetence, and an insulting disposition befits a senior office of Auroville”.

The RA-WCom informed the community that a critical situation has been unfolding at Auro Orchard. On 18th July, employees of the buyer closed fences, cutting off access to the home of two residents and members of the farm. This action also separated the farm’s cows from their shelter, food, and water sources. The root of this issue lies in a questionable land exchange brokered by the Auroville Foundation Office (AVFO) in November 2023. Despite previous assurances from the AVFO that the residents’ house and essential farm infrastructure would not be affected by the land exchange, the situation has been deteriorating with increased pressure from the buyer to vacate his land. With many broken promises to replace the affected infrastructure, Auro Orchard finds itself in a distressing situation. Attempts to negotiate with the buyer to restore access for one month, while administrative solutions could be worked out, failed. In addition, on 20th July, drinking water supply to the entire farm was stopped until it was noticed the next day that the electric fuses for the pump (now on the buyer’s land) were “removed/missing”. The fuses came back three days later. The RA-WCom has written to the GB, requesting it to address the situation and to uphold the assurances that homes and infrastructure would not be affected. The RA-WCom deems it unacceptable that the AVFO has effectively pitted residents against the buyer due to their mishandling of the exchange, and wrote that the AVFO’s and GB’s continued silence, despite repeated requests to intervene in a situation they have caused, is deeply concerning.

The RA-WCom has issued a warning that the email address @auroville.org.in is no longer safe as it is currently under unknown administration. The Working Committee approved by the Governing Board (GB-WCom) publicly objected to this warning. Accusing the RA WCom of misleading the community. This in turn evoked a strong response from the RA-WCom which stated that the announcement of the GB-WCom was made by people “impersonating the Working Committee with the support of the Office of the Secretary” and that “as often with AVFO appointees of the AVFO, the management of the domain @auroville.org.in and the associated workspace is indeed opaque and secretive.” The RA-WCom recalled that the difficulty in extracting information about the management of the @auroville.org.in administration has been immense. A Right To Information (RTI) request had been filed in August 2022 seeking this very information. Amongst other things, the RTI asked for the identities of the administrators of the auroville.org.in mailboxes, details of their scope of duties, letters of appointment, lines of managerial reporting and information regarding who authorised the appointment of Administrators. This information was however denied. An appeal was filed against the non-disclosure with the Central Information Commission (CIC). On 13 February 2024, the Information Commissioner judged that “…the replies given by the respondent [i.e. the Auroville Foundation] in all the cases were evasive and misleading.’ However, the information requested has still not been provided.

A group of resource persons, helped by research assistants and web developers have developed an on-line repository of documents pertaining to Auroville’s Urban Planning and Development. This repository contains archival materials from 1965 to 2024 pertaining to the vision, concepts, proposals, studies, and administrative and other documents. The site can be visited at https://auroville-urban-planning-and-development-repository-v2.netlify.app/.

On July 6th, a community gathering and potluck dinner took place at the Certitude sportsground. The event was organized by the RA-WCom and the Auroville Council. The event aimed at bringing the community together in support of the lands of Auroville. Important information on land exchanges, concerns and aspirations were shared. This gathering followed several smaller meetings, organized by the AVC in some of Auroville’s communities located outside of the Master Plan area including Aspiration, Aurelec, Evergreen, New Creation and more. In addition to the AV Council, members and resource persons from the RA WCom were present to inform residents about the ongoing land exchanges and their possible impact on Auroville residents - starting with those living on outlying Auroville land.

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), in its E-Tender Portal, stated that in the period from June 2022 to June 2024 an amount of almost Rs 60 crores (approximately US$ 7.3 million) has been allocated for 50 different civil works in Auroville. Major works include development of the visitor parking area; providing streetlight poles and fittings to the Crown Road; construction of four additional guest suites in Swagatham Guest House; construction of the Crown Road; and the construction of the Outer Ring Road from the Secondary Service node to the Visitors’ Centre parking area.

WasteLess, the Auroville unit that for the last 12 years has specialized in developing education on waste management, in its first Newsletter writes that it is in financial difficulty and is struggling to stay afloat, even though many community members have pledged their generous support. In July 2023, WasteLess concluded the launch of its educational programme ‘Sea Change’, addressing the issue of micro-plastics in the world’s oceans. In collaboration with various Tamil Nadu Government Schools, WasteLess reached over 13,500 students. WasteLess plans to scale ‘Sea Change’ through collaborations with partner NGO’s. For more information and support, write to info@wastelessindia.org.

In a note to the community, the Auroville School Board shared that schools’ financial situation has become more difficult since July of 2024. Pre-Crѐche, Nandanam, Kindergarten, Deepanam, Transition School, Last School, and Future School all received reductions in their budgets from SAIIER / BCC, both in allocated maintenances, and in monthly recurring expenses. The cut originates from FAMC’s direction for higher effectiveness and efficiency; SAIIER was requested to work out the distribution. The School Board noted that while there may still be some changes, the new budget reflects a reduction of 19% on the allocated Maintenances (-22.5 full-time equivalent maintenances) and around 14% reduction of monthly recurring expenses (-Rs.93,683 across schools), fully effective from August onward. As schools are affected in different ways by these changes, the School Board requested the community to contact individual schools for more information. The School Board concluded by stating it remains committed to providing integral education to the children, and while the financial situation is challenging, they will “rise to the occasion and be creative about funding”. The Board further requested the understanding and support of the community and the parents as schools address this new situation. 

On July 15th, residents of the Sri Ma community received an “Emergency Evacuation Notice” signed by the Deputy Secretary of the AVFO, mentioning that “the sea erosion has reached a critical situation today and the buildings may collapse at any moment”. The notice advised that “all the residents and establishments running in the Srima community shall be evacuated immediately so that loss to life and property is avoided”. While it is true that sea erosion has affected Sri Ma dramatically over the last few months, there is mistrust of the AVFO’s motives due to their many land exchanges and rumours that Sri Ma may be targeted. The AVFO did not offer alternative housing for the affected residents. Sri Ma community have requested daily assistance with laying a geotextile to help slow down the erosion.

The Budget Coordination Committee of the AVFO (BCC) is continuing its programme of stringent maintenance cuts with an estimated 170 Aurovilians now affected. Recently, members of the AV Council and the Entry Board had their maintenances removed. Additionally, most requests for waivers of the mandatory Auroville contribution are being refused, even to those who have had their maintenance cut and have no income whatsoever, or to those who work for the community in a voluntary capacity. Whereas in the past it was accepted that people could make a contribution to Auroville ‘in kind’ through their work, it now seems that only a financial contribution is recognised. The refusal to waive the contribution particularly affects foreigners who rely on a visa, since the AVFO will not issue a letter of recommendation until they receive a ‘no dues certificate’ from the BCC. 

Secretary: The Secretary of the AVFO, Dr Jayanti Ravi, ended her three-year term on 4th July 2024. On July 31st, the Government of Gujarat notified her appointment as Additional Chief Secretary to the Government Revenue Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar.

GB-WCom: In recent months, two ‘members’ of the GB-WCom have removed their names from the signature of the group’s mass bulletins, which could indicate their resignation; however there has been no communication in this regard.

New AVFO staff: The AVFO, which was until recently running with less than 10 employees, has grown into a larger administrative structure. Sources indicate that it now has about 50 employees, many of whom are active or retired government officials. One concern is housing as it seems that several Auroville assets, including the homes of deceased Aurovilians and the SAIIER teachers’ staff quarters, were repurposed and granted to these AVFO employees instead of Aurovilians and Newcomers on the housing wait list.