Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC) / L’Avenir d’Auroville

On 13 August, the managers of Annapurna Farm received an email signed by three working groups constituted by the Governing Board – the Funds and Assets Management Committee, L’Avenir d’Auroville (Auroville’s Town Development Council) and the Farm Service – stating: “It has been decided to allocate 100 acres of Auroville land at Annapurna for the IIT [Indian Institute of Technology, eds.]

L’Avenir d’Auroville, Auroville’s Town Planning Council constituted by the Governing Board, informed the community that it is “taking decisive steps in the implementation of the Auroville Master Plan, which has been extended [by the Governing Board] to 2035 to allow for the complete realisation of the township as originally envisaged”.

On 17 March 2025, the Supreme Court of India delivered two judgements. One was on the appeal of the Auroville Foundation against the verdict of the National Green Tribunal passed in April 2022; the other on the appeal of the Auroville Foundation against the judgement of the Madras High Court of March 2024 regarding the Auroville Town Development Council.

The National Green Tribunal verdict and appeal The Auroville Universal Township Master Plan (Perspective 2025) is a perspective and directional document that was approved in 2001 by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) – now Ministry of Education (MoE) – and published by the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation in the Gazette of India in 2010.

On 19 March, three Residents’ Assembly appointed working groups, the RA-WCom, L’Avenir d’Auroville (RA-TDC) and the Auroville Council, sent a joint letter to the Matrimandir Team and the Auroville Town Development Council constituted by the Governing Board, warning about non-compliance consequences with Indian law, which requires obtaining necessary quarrying permits for ordinary earth excavation and approvals and environmental clearances for the creation of water bodies of the magnitude of the Matrimandir Lake.

The Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC) constituted by the Governing Board has advertised for talented and passionate architects and engineers to join its team.

On 29 January, a member of the Auroville Town Development Council constituted by the Governing Board (GB-ATDC) verbally informed community members that it now “had permission to increase the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to 30 meters wide”.

The RA-TDC informed the community that on 27 January it had sent a letter to high government officials addressing ongoing concerns about non-compliance by the GB-ATDC and the Central Public Works Department which executes the road building in accordance with the Auroville Master Plan (Perspective 2025).

On January 10, the members of L’Avenir d’Auroville, the Town Planning Council appointed by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-TDC), informed the community that it had sent a letter to high government officials addressing critical concerns about ongoing developments in the Auroville project area.

Prashant Hedao was the Regional Planning Coordinator of L’Avenir d’Auroville, Auroville’s Town Planning Department, from 2007-2010. In those years he worked closely together with then Governing Board member Dr BV Doshi on the Auroville Master Plan.

The Auroville Town Development Council constituted by the Governing Board (ATDC) informed the community through a mass bulletin on 25 December 2024 that Auroville is currently implementing its road network, which comprises the Crown, Radial Roads, and the Outer Ring Road, and that, consequently, all Red Assets connected to this project, i.e. structures located on the road or on the rights-of-way, will need to be demolished.

In the same mass bulletin, the ATDC announced that all fences within and between neighbouring communities will be removed. “This initiative seeks to manifest an open and walkable city, without any boundary demarcations, encouraging a more open and connected environment.”

The contractors hired by the AVFO and its Auroville Town Development Council began two new major road works immediately before the monsoon, leading again to difficult and potentially dangerous conditions for road users, in particular cyclists.

According to meeting minutes of the Auroville Town Development Council appointed by the Governing Board, two rainwater “collection ponds” have been designed to “collect the water from the stretch of the Crown which will go from Solar Kitchen to Savitri Bhavan” and divert it to the Matrimandir Lake.

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.

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.

Auroville’s communal fabric is having a difficult time of late with the Residents’ Assembly’s voice being ignored. The recent Selection Process showed that our collective spirit is still in good health.

The RA-WCom informed the community that the hearings in the Supreme Court of India on the verdict from the Madras High Court of 15th March 2024, which had invalidated the GB’s Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC) and had called for more collaboration between the GB and the Residents’ Assembly (RA), will probably take place in the second week of July.

There have been many requests for clarity on the background and status of the numerous court cases that are pending in various courts in India, including in the Supreme Court of India, regarding the present situation in Auroville.

The RA-WCom has invited residents for a General Meeting in Kalabhumi on April 30th, regarding formulating draft regulations about the constitution and function of the Town Development Council (TDC).

The RA-Working Committee and the RA-Town Development Committee sent a joint note to the community advising to disregard notices sent by the GB-FAMC with the request to vacate at the earliest the Auroville assets they are stewarding to make way for roads or ‘lines of force’.

On March 15, a bench of the Madras High Court consisting of its Hon’ble Chief Justice Mr. Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and the Hon'ble Mr. Justice D.

In November 2019, Auroville Today introduced UTSAV (meaning ‘Celebration’), a combined commercial and residential project which aimed to bring new energy on a major Radial of the Industrial Zone.

In August last year, Omar, Mona and David made a presentation to the community about the next steps they envisaged after the Dreamweaving on the Crown experiment [see AV Today no.

On the 4th January, many people were shocked to see many Service trees (Peltophorum pterocarpum/ Copper Pod tree) being felled on the Crown between the Solar Kitchen and Mahalakshmi Home.

The AVFO ATDC approval for Auroyali to take a piece of Pebble Garden land for its workshop has been rescinded by the AVFO ATDC after the feedback period.

Induja, a young Auroville architect, talks about how she came to Auroville, the work which inspires her and her hopes for the future.

On 18th November, a meeting was organised by Community Connect for the four working groups that work with the AVF – the WC, the FAMC, the ATDC and an alternative RAS – to make presentations and answer questions from community members.

The FO L’avenir d’Auroville / ATDC announced that the preparation of the development of Auroville-City, planning and development of roads, sectors and facilities has implications for the borewells also.

Judith joined Auroville in 1971. Here she talks about her journey.

The Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS) announced that the Residents’ Assembly of Auroville had approved two proposals with majority vote. The proposal that the RA can make an emergency Residents’ Assembly Decision (RAD) at a petition signed by at least 300 residents was approved by 402 participants (98% of all votes cast).

The FO-ATDC announced that it will no longer approve new and replacement borewells in the Auroville City area. Exceptions will be made only if no other water supply possibilities are available.

Since the first week of June 2023, the Land Board appointed by the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation has been clearing areas of Revelation Forest, one of Auroville’s largest forests, to prepare for the Outer Ring Road under direction of the Auroville Foundation appointed Town Development Council (FO–ATDC).

The Town Development Council appointed by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-TDC) informed the community that over the past months it has sent out letters to the Auroville Foundation Secretary, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and the GB appointed Town Development Council (GB-ATDC) regarding non-compliance with the National Green Tribunal judgment as it considers that works being done along the Crown Road and in other places in Auroville disregard the NGT judgment.

The GB-TDC has been served a legal notice in response to its email to users of the Kalabhumi borewell, which includes the residents, the Music Studio, CRIPA hall and Aurofilm.

The FO ATDC points out that most of the residences in the Gaia community are in the designated Mahalakshmi Park, even though one of these residences received building permission in the recent past.

Work is now going on apace to finish the Crown road, using RCC slabs rather than the paver blocks which were first experimented with. However, a study by the Auroville Earth Institute concludes that “The new road surfacing design approved by the Auroville Town Development Council appointed by the secretary for the surfacing of this road does not follow any Indian standard.

The RA TDC is moving forward with setting up a participatory planning process which is open for all to contribute to; the only rule of the game is for each to bring their goodwill, expertise and diversity into a shared approach and be ready to meet respectfully on middle ground.

In Auroville Tomorrow no. 5, Anupama Kundoo, the head of Urban Design at the ATDC, introduced a proposal for independent transport networks in the city tied to the Crown.

The Auroville Town Development Council appointed by the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation Office plans for the addition of 12,000 new residents by 2025.

The Dreamweaving process recently ended with an exhibition of the concepts and a public presentation to the community. Afterwards, six of the architects involved came together to reflect upon the experience, along with Mona who helped hold the Dreamweaving process.

Confronted with many requests for various decisions of the Residents’ Assembly, the Auroville Council organized a poll to help it and the Residents’ Assembly Service determine which topics for Residents’ Assembly Decisions (RADs) the community felt to be the most important at this moment in time.

On 31st December, the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation, Dr. Jayanti Ravi, invited the community to meet with her the next day when she would answer questions.

In the aftermath of the recent Residents’ Assembly Meeting, I have tried to understand and introspect the inner resistance that I have been feeling towards “moving on”.

This issue is almost entirely devoted to the tumultuous events of the last weeks which saw bulldozers removing trees planted by Auroville foresters and Auroville habitations in the Youth Centre, to clear a path for the Right of Way of the Crown, which is intended to connect the four zones of the city.

While the vast majority of Aurovilians see a need for the Crown, differences exist concerning how it should be manifested. Here, in a summarized form, we present some of the major expressed differences in perspective, some of which have not been adequately fact-checked.

What Aurovilians are asking for is a town planning process that upholds and reflects the ideals of ‘the city the earth needs’.

It is always foolhardy to offer conclusions when the dust has yet to settle during a major turmoil or, when, indeed, controversy is still roiling the community.

The rooftop of Akash and Monica’s studio apartment in Maitreye looks futuristic. It is lush and green with lettuce and rucola plants, but they are grown without soil!

Cristo was the Coordinator of the Auroville Universal Township Integrated Master Plan 1999, the first Auroville Master Plan, which was approved by the community.