It has been discovered a couple of days ago that the previous Working Committee of Auroville has filed a Writ petition in Madras High Court for land protection during the confirmation of the Masterplan against the State Government in January 2021. This has been kept secretive so far and one of the former Working Committee member has made this revelation in May 2021. The Accused Officer Srinivas Murthy who is now Secretary in charge by default of Auroville Foundation has asked them to withdraw the writ petition citing that only the Foundation can represent Auroville in a court of law. The Ministry of Education has also asked the Working Committee to withdraw the petition unconditionally. The Auroville Resident Assembly was not unaware, while according to the Auroville Foundation Act, the Working Committee is a mere representative of the Resident Assembly and cannot take suo-moto decisions, but many times Working Committee takes secretive decisions for personal motives.
This Writ petition asks for a check on sporadic and illegal developments in the area. It also includes a prayer that any personal buying / developing property in the region should take permission from Auroville Foundation. The previous Governing Board had set up a Land task force to keep a check on land protection and purchases, which was shot down by the Working Committee, stating Autonomy and now they have approached the courts for the same at their terms. A copy of this writ is yet to come to us, but it is imperative to note that Auroville has been sending notices, disconnecting electricity to other developers in the area without confirming the Masterplan already for so many years.
The post of Secretary of Auroville and Governing Board has been vacant for almost a year, which gives no monitoring bodies as per the Foundation Act. Many malpractices have come to light during this period including a Gazette which has been passed in a similar manner in which the Accused Officer Srinivas Murthy said it was his mere oversight stating that the Working Committee secretly changed it. This gazette allows Aurovilians to hold private property in the Masterplan area with the prior permission of the Auroville Foundation, while as per the Charter of Auroville they should not hold any private properties. The Acting Secretary avoids replying to an RTI on the same.
Aurovilians are divided on the Writ Petition which is a public document filed in the judiciary of our country, but an Aurovilian, Renu of the Land Board alleged of abetting land encroachers and inflating purchase prices ironically stated “Very simple the more they know the more they are equipped. We face this at the LB all the time, as things leak out to the wrong people all the time and it makes the work harder or the price higher or other actions that then go against our interests.”
An Aurovilian, Chandresh said “As a resident of Auroville, an ex-student and practicing teacher at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education and finally also an Indian citizen, I also ask you to withdraw this Writ Petition. Failing which, what would stop some of the residents of Auroville, citizens of India, to file show-cause notice against these individuals to leave Auroville for taking such unilateral action which is detrimental to residents of Auroville and citizens of India?”
Paulette, a senior Aurovilian said, “To be defended by the Foundation, and get people willing to join it, we first need to stand for the Act and Mother's real guidelines.”
While Sanjeev cited “There are many questions raised by the clarification issued but cannot be asked in this forum. The role of Dilip Kapur ( owner of Hidesign ) in this story is not part of the clarification at all. Documents filed in court are public documents. But in Auroville, we have limited access only.”
Paul Vincent, an Aurovilian who made many reports on land encroachments said “As we speak, the NTDA option is dead... It was killed by people like (Architects) Suhasini, Prashant, Latha, and co...As a result, the Government of Tamil Nadu has said that they will not proceed further on the NTDA...The people who block developments are linked to those who opposed the NTDA. They want to be free of any constraint, even from Auroville...They are against the Master Plan...The TDC ( Auroville Town Development Council) is not in a position to act independently, they are acting on remote control...”
Due to the non-confirmation of the Masterplan for so many years, land encroachers and property developers have sprung up in the area with the direct involvement of members of the Land Board and the Working Committee. It has also been cited very many times that Aurovilians are involved in criminal gang-related activities, forging backdated documents & inflating valuation reports of purchases. The Enquiry Committee report in the Ministry of Education is pending since September 2019 which asks for an unbiased central investigation into the activities of both these groups & their criminal nexus to propagate land encroachments. A Public Interest Litigation is also pending in the Madras High Court with this regard due to the delay in action by the Ministry.
The Tamilnadu Government under the regime of Honourable Chief Minister MK Stalin has taken a strong stance on land purchases stating that land registrars should stick to the guideline values only without any third-party interference.
A joint task force must be appointed at the earliest by the State & Central Govt together to investigate criminal activities by Aurovilians, who kept the Masterplan at a moot point for personal interest, and take steadfast actions to realize the Mother’s Dream to the fullest.
#Auroville #AurovilleCorruption #LandBoard #AurovilleMasterplan #CityofDawn #TheMother #SriAurobindo
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Links to the above:
Working Committee on the Writ Petition:
Chandresh on the Writ Petition:
Auronet ( Auroville discussion forum ) :
The WC is an elected body appointed by the RA to interact between the Governing Board and the Residents Assembly. Fullstop. Anything else is abuse of power.
One task of the Auroville Foundation is to legally represent Auroville. Single individuals may appear in a court of law (and it should be highly time), but the WC cannot usurp a task which is unique to the Auroville Foundation, as sanctioned by the Act; on top, secretly from the RA -- and opposed by Sanjeev (SAIIER), formerly a lawyer who became an Aurovilian exactly after having been an outward defender of the Act, during the SAS war!
If we are the first ones who violate the Act, what do we expect from others?
And what Secretary, Governing Board or International Advisory Council will join the bloody mess we are?
We need visas to be allowed to reside in Auroville, and respect of the Act is the first requisite.
To be defended by the Foundation, and get people willing to join it, we first need to stand for the Act and Mother's real guidelines.
- Paulette
To file a writ petition against the government of India and the Government of Tamilnadu when we function under the Av.Foundation Act,a law passed by Parliament does not make sense to me.Hence I requested that this be withdrawn.My request still holds.The GOI has also directed the WC to withdraw this petition.But they refuse to do so.
I was asked to keep it a secret and I held to my promise.But suddenly it is no longer a secret.
There are many questions raised by the clarification issued but cannot be asked in this forum.The role of Dilip Kapur in this story is not part of the clarification at all.
Documents filed in court are public documents.But in Auroville we have a limited access only.
For years the Governing Board has been told that there is no consensus in Auroville on the NTDA option.How many people were in the know of the Writ Petition?What was the consensus there?
Today there is a new Working Committee. The old working committee does not exist so should not act as if it does.
- Sanjeev
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