Issue Nº422 – News in brief

The newspaper The Hindu reported on August 7th that the Minister of State for Education, Shri Sukanta Majumdar, replying in Parliament to a set of questions about Auroville, had said that the Central Government has referred a range of complaints, including dubious land exchanges, encroachment, cybercrime and money laundering in Auroville, to the appropriate bodies / agencies. Representations and complaints dealing with land exchanges have been forwarded to the Auroville Foundation to examine their merits and place them before the Governing Board, which is the competent authority to recommend a suitable course of action, the Minister said.

No news has been communicated to the Auroville community about who will replace the former Secretary to the Auroville Foundation, Dr. Jayanti Ravi, whose term of office ended on July 4th, and who has been appointed Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Gujarat on July 31st, 2024.

The minutes of the 67th meeting of the Governing Board held on May 31st have still not been published.

The Working Committee appointed by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-WCom) informed the community that it had written to the Governing Board objecting to the reorganisation of Auroville service structure without proper consultation. The RA-WCom objected to the recent appointment of single trustees to Auroville Trusts, which violates Trust Deeds requiring at least two trustees; and to converting Auroville services (like Bluelight, the Road Service, the Health Fund etc.) into income-generating units under Trusts, as these are essential municipal services, not commercial entities. The RA-WCom reminded the Governing Board that according to the Auroville Foundation Act, only the Working Committee can create or close such entities, with Governing Board approval, and requested the Board that all actions to reconstitute trusts/trustees and reorganise services be halted and reversed immediately.

The rescue team of the Auroville Dog Shelter caught inside Transition School a black female dog that acted extremely aggressively and displayed signs of a possible rabies infection. Five persons including two children, and many other dogs, were bitten by this dog. The rescue team used its stock of vaccinations to vaccinate the animal bite victims and caught two more dogs that showed symptoms of the rabies infection. All dogs caught were put in quarantine; two of them died soon afterwards, one is still under observation. The persons bitten were sent to a hospital for treatment.

The Auroville Dog Shelter Team warned that this might be the beginning of a serious rabies outbreak in Auroville and the surrounding villages. People were advised to not touch any dogs or puppies on the street and to keep their dogs and cats inside, and, if bitten, immediately get an anti-rabies vaccination as rabies symptoms may show up much later – in some cases up to a year later – but then are 100% fatal.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and the Animal Welfare Board of India, Tamil Nadu officials and the Auroville Foundation have been informed and the Auroville Dog Shelter Team is working together with them to control and prevent a larger outbreak of rabies in Auroville and the surrounding area.

The Auroville Foundation has been requested for funds to replenish the Dog’s Shelters animal vaccination stock so that a potential large rabies outbreak can be fought successfully and Auroville be kept safe. Meanwhile, thanks to a donation from AVI USA, an emergency stock of animal vaccinations could be purchased. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccinating at least 70% of dogs in at-risk areas to prevent rabies transmission and human deaths. This level of herd immunity needs to be maintained for 3–7 years to eliminate rabies. The Dog Shelter Team is going around Auroville to vaccinate as many dogs and cats as possible. Its mobile vet clinic in front of the Solar Kitchen has turned into a vaccination camp and all Aurovilians have been urged to have their dogs and cats vaccinated to eliminate the risk of rabies and keep everyone safe. A mass animal vaccination drive focussing on the Auroville surrounding villages started in the last week of August.

The RA-WCom informed the community that the 100 crore loan request to the Indian Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) for the Governing Board’s proposal to build 1,000 beds had not been approved by the Ministry of Education. The RA-WCom stated that the AVFO appointees had been making statements and claims without having studied the feasibility of their projects beforehand, and without consulting with all the parties involved. The RA-WCom further noted that applying for such loans cannot be done without first consulting the Residents' Assembly or its representatives, and this has not been done. It also observed that the economic setup for such a loan to be repaid from Auroville maintenance seems hardly feasible and that a detailed financial analysis and approval by the residents (who would ultimately be held responsible to repay the loan) is a minimum requirement in a shared economy.

Pour Tous Water (PTW) has become a free service, following the decision made by the Residents’ Assembly in January 2014. The BCC/FAMC and the Pour Tous Water team have reached an agreement that all PTW expenses will be covered by the BCC. A recurring monthly budget of approximately Rs 63,000 has been allocated for this purpose. PTW will now provide services free of charge to all Auroville residents, communities, services, and commercial units. Any necessary replacement materials will be provided at cost by PTW without additional charges.

The Residents’ Assembly News & Notes editors reached out to the community as the community edition of the News & Notes (aka RA News & Notes) is in financial difficulties and needs help. Nearly a year and a half ago, the RA News & Notes was created with the intention of providing uncensored content to the community. While most members of the team volunteer their time, the recurring costs of around Rs 18,000 monthly, primarily for printing and distribution, are difficult to meet. The editors reminded the community that the continuation of the RA News & Notes depends on our collective effort and called for financial support.