Issue Nº424 – News in brief

A report in The Hindu newspaper said that on October 2nd the Board members were apprised of various projects and interacted with various community groups, including representatives from the Funds and Assets Management Committee (FAMC), the Working Committee, the Land Board and the Auroville Town Development Council, in the interest of “fostering dialogue”.

Subsequently, the Residents’ Assembly (RA) Working Committee sent a letter to The Hindu, pointing out that there had been no interaction with any legitimate representatives of the community, and therefore there was no attempt at "fostering dialogue".  

On October 4th a delegation of diplomats from various nations visited Auroville. According to a press note, the delegation comprised figures in fields of diplomacy, global business and trade. They meditated in the Matrimandir and surveyed ongoing work on the Matrimandir lake. K.Swarnambika, Deputy Secretary of the Foundation, gave an overview of The Mother’s vision for the township.

It was reported on Auronet that on Tuesday, September 24th a small group of Aurovilians met with the Union Home Minister in Delhi. Among other things, it was reported that in future the work with the residents will be in a collaborative way, and that if any amendment to the Foundation Act is required, this would be done only through consultation with and with the consent of the Auroville residents. The Home Minister was surprised when it was mentioned that Jayanti Ravi was still acting as Secretary of the Foundation and said he would look into it. (Since then it has been confirmed that she is no longer the Secretary, eds.)

The RA Working Committee’s Quo Warranto petition against seven members functioning as the Working Committee of the Residents Assembly was dismissed by a judge at the Madras High Court, citing there is no clear framework for selection of the Working Committee. The FO Working Committee later wrote, “This explicitly means that the only legitimate Working Committee, constituted by the Residents’ Assembly, recognized by the Governing Board and upheld by a court of law, is the one composed of (our) members.” However, the judge rejected the Secretary’s allegation of perjury against one of the members of the RA Working Committee.

The RA Working Committee responded to this judgement by asserting that “This order does not legitimise the group recognized by the GB as they have not been selected by the RA as per Section 20 of the AVF Act. We are in consultation with our lawyers about possible next steps to be undertaken to once again have full recognition of the legitimate groups selected by the Residents’ Assembly.”

The Admissions Committee (i.e. the Auroville Entry Board) reminded the community that there is currently a case pending in the Madras High Court about a document entitled ‘Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations, 2023’ published in The Gazette of India by the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation on behalf of the Governing Board. While a final judgement on this matter is awaited, it has granted a stay order has been granted. A legal opinion was sought, which concluded that, “the Admissions Committee selected by the Residents Assembly can continue to function under the 2020 Regulations subject to any further or other orders passed by the Hon’ble Madras High Court”.

The Entry Board therefore informed the community that it can continue contacting the current Newcomers for their self assessments and other documentation; contacting the mentors for mentor reports and final recommendations; scheduling interviews; processing the current Newcomers to complete their process in one way or another; and scheduling clarification on Feedback. However, until further notice, the Entry Board will not be accepting new applications for any status in Auroville.

The FO Working Committee, however, declared this to be “misinformation”, stating that The Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations, 2020, was replaced by the Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations, 2023, in December 2023. This is a Ministry-approved document that is legally binding on all. Moreover, the new process outlined in the new Regulations is that an Admissions and Terminations Scrutinizing Committee will be formed by the Governing Board, composed of five members, at least two of whom will be Residents.

They warn applicants, “Please be informed that going through any process interviews/ meetings/ exchanges will be a mere waste of time and will not lead to you becoming a Registered Auroville Resident or Aurovilian… We empathize with the unfortunate situation you all find yourselves in. We are informed that our legal team is working actively on this, and the situation will be clarified soon.”

The RA Working Committee responded that the FO Working Committee’s ‘clarification’ contained confusing and misleading statements, pointing out that ‘Admission and Termination’ has always been a responsibility held by the Residents’ Assembly, not by the Governing Board, and this is stated in the Auroville Foundation Act. Also, the Court Order of February 23rd, 2024 is clear. It stays this new regulation because it “erodes upon the power of the Residents’ Assembly to allow admissions or cause the termination of persons in the register”.

The Chairman and Secretary of the Auroville International Governing Board have written to the Director-General of UNESCO regarding ‘disturbing developments’ in Auroville.

Noting that UNESCO has supported Auroville, they explain that “We are writing to you today to inform you about developments over the last three years that have shaken the very basics and fabric of Auroville, running counter to the noble aims of its founding idea as laid down in the Charter.”

The board members report that in its 56 years of existence, Auroville has proven worthy of the trust expressed by the UNESCO resolutions, statements and direct support. “For the last three years, however, Auroville’s development has been pushed in a different direction when a new Secretary to the Auroville Foundation took office, appointed by the Central Government. Together with a likewise newly appointed Governing Board, one of the three authorities of the Foundation, they started to dominate and sideline the other two authorities, namely the Residents’ Assembly and the International Advisory Council – thus disturbing the well-established balance between the three bodies as enshrined in the Auroville Foundation Act.”

The board members say that as a result the residents of Auroville have been “subjected to severe repressive measures and adverse developments for the community”, including non-recognition of existing administrative and working groups, legitimately elected by the Residents’ Assembly, and the establishment of groups with the same name, empowered by the Secretary and Governing Board, increasingly composed with Indian officials who have no connection to Auroville’s ideals and ethics; questionable land deals; the unnecessary destruction of thousands of trees, that take no account of ecological concerns and previous successes in environmental and climate protection and have a negative impact on the entire bioregion;  and refusal to sign recommendation letters for visas needed by non-Indian residents which increasingly jeopardises Auroville’s international character and undermines its founding idea.

The letter concludes, “We are reaching out to you to keep you informed about these difficult times for Auroville in which UNESCO has, like us, invested its high hopes for a brighter future of mankind. Please join us in our aspirations for a positive turn of events happening soon.”

RA L’Avenir reported that on the morning of Thursday, September 19th, the Nine Palms Forest Stewards discovered an area had been cleared without prior notice for a new Eco-Service landfill. The issue of where to dump the Auroville landfill waste had been a matter of urgency for around one month, due to neighbours blocking access to the previous site. The Eco-Service team had taken the problem to the AVFO ‘ATDC’, who initially did not respond to the email requests for action.

Then the Eco-Service team took the drastic action of dumping several loads of landfill waste in front of the Town Hall in order to get their attention.

However, the plot that has been cleared is situated in a highly sensitive zone, being directly above a major water catchment area. Disposal of waste in the selected location may pollute the entire chain of tanks, Kaluveli swamp and contaminate the water table. Designating a site as a landfill requires careful site assessment, including the location of the site within the watershed and also the geological strata underneath, to check for suitability and to prevent contamination to groundwater and surface water bodies downstream. However, no such process has been followed in this case.

A 6 metre wide road has been cleared through Auroville’s Northern Forest Area (NFA), in order to gain access to the area that has been earmarked for a 30 meter tall hill to be built from the soil excavated from the Matrimandir Lake. So far, 6 acres of land have been cleared at the hill site and approximately 10 more acres are earmarked for clearance in the future. Michael Bonke and the Matrimandir (MM) team are coordinating the project, which will see 1 million cubic meters of soil transported by lorry from the MM to the hill site over the next two years. This project threatens the forest sanctuary and wildlife in the area. Although the cleared areas will be replanted, concerns have been raised that it will not be possible to prevent development in that area now that there is a roadway.

There has been no consultation with the community about the hill and, as of now, no Environmental Impact Assessment on the project has been done. (More on this in a future issue of Auroville Today, eds.)

Meanwhile, the stewards of Revelation Forest have been informed that the Public Works Department will soon begin clearing the path for the Outer Ring Road through the Sanctuary, a portion of forest that was meant to be free from human intervention and that is home to several protected and endangered species.

A note from the RA L’Avenir and RA Working Committee, pointed out that there are feasible alternatives that would allow roads to be constructed without impacting our community’s assets. These are the so-called ‘red assets’ which the FO ATDC has identified as being on the path of future roads and therefore needing to be destroyed. As the RA Working Groups put it, “We once more encourage a reassessment of the project to explore these options and prevent further damage to the homes and living spaces of all residents of Auroville, and the further degradation of Auroville’s community spirit. It is important to find a balance that respects both development goals and the preservation of the natural environment in which we all live and for which Auroville is renowned… Participatory planning, involving all community voices, is key to finding solutions that reflect shared values and ensure a resilient, harmonious future for Auroville. The residents build the city, not the other way around.”

Annapurna, Auroville’s largest farm, is in financial difficulties. The managers say it is because the stewards’ maintenances have been cut by the FO FAMC, along with poor management decisions by Foodlink which has outstanding payments of Rs 3 lakhs to the farm, and problems with Annapurna’s dairy. The managers have created a financial plan for a viable future which involves creating wood lots to act as a financial buffer. For this and for supporting running costs they would require a yearly budget of 5.2 lakhs for five consecutive years. They are requesting donations. More information can be obtained from from indiannatomas@gmail.com.

The Auroville Foundation has announced via a recruitment notification that there will be three new Deputy Secretaries, alongside a new Under Secretary, recruited to work in the AVFO. The new positions are Deputy Secretary (Security), Deputy Secretary (Accounts and Audit), Deputy Secretary (Administration).

Between September 21st – 29th, Auroville hosted the 8th edition of Earth Shastra, a 9-day immersive journey in the lap of nature, that brought together 30 young changemakers from across India. The intention was to make sense of the climate emergency and converging crises of our times. It was a leadership experience to help participants orient their life path in greater harmony with themselves, others and nature. The programme was facilitated by Youth Alliance of India with Auroville’s YouthLink and Flourish.

At a Residents’ Assembly meeting, the Council explained that this revision of the RAS mandate has been long overdue. The existing 2007 mandate framed the RAS more as a decision-making body, whereas their actual role is to facilitate processes for the Residents' Assembly and working groups. Therefore, in August 2021, a team was formed to review the RAS mandate, incorporating valuable suggestions from residents. The proposed new mandate will be put to the community for a decision, following the due process as envisioned by the RAD policy, 2023.