Constitution Of Auroville Town Development Council

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

(DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION)

AUROVILE FOUNDATION, AUROVILLE-6051 01.

STANDING ORDER NO.6/201 1 dated 1’t May 2011

CONSTITUTION OF AUROVILLE TOWN DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

Whereas the Mother had envisaged Aurovitte as a universal township dedicated to

human unity and international understanding and as further described by her in ,.A

Dream” 11954), the Auroviue Charter (1968), the message “To be a True Aurovilion”

(‘1970) and the Mother’s numerous other messages and writings on Aurovitte.

Whereas Section 16(‘1) read together with Section ’17(e) of the Auroville Foundation

Act, ‘1988 and subsection 5(1)(b) of the Auroyitte Foundation Rutes, 1997 empowers

the Governing Board to constitute committees for the efficient discharge of its duties and

performance of its functions, and also prepare, in consultation with the Residents,

Assembly, the Master Plan for the international cultural township of Auroville.e

(hereinafter referred to as “the Township”) and ensure its development so planned;

Whereas the Governing Board, in terms of Section ’17(e), ibid, approved the Auroville

Universal Township Master Plan (Perspective 2025), hereinafter referred to as “the

Master Plan”, prepared by the Residents’ Assembly of Auroville;

Whereas the Master Plan was approved by the Central Government, vide Government

of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development (Department of Higher Education)

Letter No. F.27-3 /2000- UU dated 12 Aptil 2001, and was notjfjed by Aurovltte

Foundation, with the approval of the Central Government, in the Gazette of India

(Part lll) on 16th August 2010; and

Whereas Master Plan prescribes the “Town Development Council” as the body for

implementing the Master Plan with an organisafiona[ structure as in Appendix V of the

Master Plan;

Now, therefore, the Governing Board, in terms of the provisions of the Master plan,

constitutes the “Town Development Council” (hereinafter referred to as,,the

Council”) in consultation with the Residents’ Assembly through the Working

The committee, for the purpose of implementation of the Master Plan which includes but

is not limited to (1) planning, developing and building of the Township, (2) socioeconomic planning and development; (3) implementing and monitoring of

development plans; and (4) mobilizing resources and funding the planning and

development of the Township, subject to the following provisions:

1. CounciI Membership :

The Council shall consist of a maximum of 15 members nominated by the

Residents Assembly through the Working Committee from among the Residents’ of

Auroville, whose names are entered in the Register of Residents maintained in terms

of Section 18(2) of the Auroville Foundation Act1988 and approved and notified by

the Governing Board and shall include members representing functional areas and

nominated members as given below:

functional Areas (’13 members):

– Town Planning

– Urban Design

PhysicaI infrastructure

– Sociallnfrastructure

Economic Development

Applied Research on Sustainable Development

Resource Mobilisation

– implementation and Monitoring

Greenbelt, Green Zones and Parks

– Communication

Nominated Members (2 members):

– Nominee of the Governing Board

Nominee of the Working Committee

2. Office Bearers :

The Council wi[[ have three office-bearers namely one Chairperson, one MemberSecretary and one Member in charge of Finance & Accounts. The Governing Board

nominates Shri Balakrishna Doshi, to be their nominee in the Town Development Council.

The Council shall select these three office-bearers from amongst themselves and

decide on the levels of delegated authority to these office bearers.

3. Term of Office:

(a) The term of office of

notification by the Governing Board

member shall be 4 years from the date of

his/her nomination by Working Committee;

the term, the new members

induction and transition

smooth transition;

a

of

(b) Six months before the exp -y of each 4 year

of the Council will be nominated and will commence an

the process with the then-existing Council members to ensure a

(c) The Governing Board may, in consultation with the Working Committee,

may re-appoint functional-area members to the new succeeding Council, so as to

ensure continuity of work. The re-appointment of council members will be subject

to the eligibility criterion as per clause 3 (d) below,

(d) A member shall be eligible for re-nomination for a maximum of one term

in succession and for subsequent nomination on the same terms after a lapse of 2

terms from the last one; and for subsequent nomination on the same terms after a

lapse of 2 terms from the last one.

4. Cessation of Membership:

A member shall cease to be on the Council: (‘1) if he/she is continuously absent

from Councit work or Aurovitte for more than six months; (2) if he/she resigns in

writing and the resignation, recommended by the Council, is accepted by the

Governing Board; (3) if the Governing Board, on the recommendation of the Council,

for good and sufficient reasons to be recorded in writing, removes a member;

5. Nominations and Vacancies:

Members of the Council will be appointed by the Governing Board jn consultation

with the Resident’s Assembly through the Working Committee. lf a casual vacancy

is caused for any reason, the Governing Board, in consultation with the Working

Committee may appoint a member for the vacancy for the remaining period of

the term. For the appointment of members of the Council, the Governing Board

will issue suitable Office Orders from time to time. Such Office Orders will

contain the names of the members, their terms and the functional areas of

responsibility.

6. Functions and Responsibilities:

The Governing Board herewith empowers the Council, being the prescribed

Authority as mentioned in the Master Plan, with the following functions and

responsibilities:

(a) Ensure that the Township is planned, developed, and built genera[y

according to the “Galaxy Concept” approved by the Mother and the Master

Plan to manifest the Mother’s vision of Aurovjtte within a time frame;

(b) Prepare and approve Zonal Plans, Local Area Plans and 5 year Detailed

Development Pl.ans for building the Township in a time-bound manner;

(c) Review and update the Master Plan every’15 years with the first such review

to take place in 2025;

(d) Prepare and approve Development Plan Regulations (BuiLding By-taws) as

well as give Building Permissions and Completion Certificates;

(e) Prepare and approve budgets, estimates, planning schedules, work plans and

work competition schedules;

(f) Assist in raising or raise funds for planning, developing, and building the

Township including the consolidation of Land required for the purpose. The

funds so raised shall be deposited in the Aurovitte Unity Fund and disbursed

to the CounciI for the realisation of approved development plans;

(g) Secure the services of town planners, urban designers, engineers, architects,

contractors, surveyors, consultants, legal advisors, and such other experts

and professionals from within and outside Aurovitte as may be necessary

from time to time and on such terms and conditions as may be decided by

the Council;

(h) Prepare and implement communication and consultation processes that

encourage an active, constructive and participatory involvement of Aurovjtte

residents in the implementation of the Master Plan;

(i) Constitute functional teams, working groups, project teams, and other

resource groups as may be necessary from time to time on such terms and

conditions as may be decided by the CounciU

U) Secure, where necessary, the required recognition or endorsement from the

appropriate central, state, Local or district government authorities for the

implementation of the Master Plan in consultation and cooperation with the

Secretary, Auroville Foundation;

(k) Prepare rules and regulations for ensuring enforcement of the Master Plan

with the approval of the Governing Board.

7. AdYisory Committee:

The Governing Board wiLl. constitute the TDC Advisory croup (TAG) comprising up

to 7 members including the Director, Town and Country Planning, Government of

Tamil Nadu, to advise the Governing Board and the council on matters relating to the

Master Plan, including, but not limited to, the preparation of Detailed Development

Plans and the monitoring and review of planning and development progress.

8. Accountability and Reporting:

(a) The Council shall be accountable to the governing Board, through the

Working Committee, and shall submit to it a faithful and true account of its activities,

including income and expenditure as and when required by the Governing Board.

(b) The Council shalt also submit a faithful and true account of its activities

to the Residents’ Assembly, through the Working Committee, as decided from time to

time-

(c) The Council shall publish an annual report on the progress in

implementing the Master Plan.

9, lnternalManagement:

The Council shall determine, with the approval of the Governing Board through

the Working Committee, its internal working procedures in all respects not

inconsistent with the Auroville Foundation Act, ‘1988, the Aurovitte Foundation Rutes,

1997 and the provisions of this Notification. The Council shall provide a copy of its

internal management and financial processes manual to the Working Committee and

the Governing Board for information.

10. L’avenir d’Aurovitle

Since the name “L’avenir d’Aurovitte” was given by the Mother for the

Township Planning, developing and building the organisation; the Council shall retain

it and may use the expression “Auroville Town Development Council – L’avenir

d’Auroille” in its internat communications.

From the date of the constitution of the Council, the committee known by the

name of “L’avenir d’ Aurovitte” and constituted by the Governing Board by its

Standing Order No. 1/2008 dated 11 March 2008, and the connected office Orders,

shall cease to exist and function and its roles and responsibilities shall be taken over

by the Council. I

‘1 1. Amendments to the Notification

The Governing Board, in consultation with the Working Committee, may amend,

from time to time, any or att of the provisions of this Standing Order.

12. This Standing Order is issued with the approval of Chairman, Aurovitte

Foundation and shall come into force with immediate effect

(M. Ramaswamy)

Secretary

Letter from former IAC members to Chairman, Governing Board

From former IAC members to Chairman, Governing Board: 

Dear Shri R. N. Ravi, 

Having served on the International Advisory Council of Auroville for a number of years, many of us have a deep admiration for Auroville and its accomplishments and have made lasting friendships with many Aurovilians. 

Recent alarming reports from trustworthy sources of conflict, intimidation and a police presence are not in the spirit of Auroville’s ideals which we were invited to promote and protect. These incidents have already been reported in local and national media and international social networking platforms. 

We are aware of the difficulty of your task and hope that in this auspicious year of Sri Aurobindo’s sesquicentennial when the world’s eyes will be turned towards his legacy that harmony prevails above all else. 

Most sincerely, 

Mark Tully, Vishakha Desai, Shaunaka Rishi Das, Kabir Shaikh, Julian Lines, Doudou Diene, Marc Luyckx Ghisi

Statement of Members

of the International Advisory Council

To: Respected Members of the Governing Board

11 December 2021

Like so many friends and well-wishers of Auroville, we have been pained by the polarization that has come into the Auroville Community, and it is imperative that we as a Council stay above such divisions. We understand the anger over the use of the police, and we understand the frustration of those who want to see the agreed upon development plan move forward. For sure, there have been missteps on all sides, but we are advising everyone not to linger in the anger and blame, but to work individually to calm emotions, step down and invoke the Mother. By allowing the vilification of the “other” we are working against the Mother’s ideal of human unity. This will not lead to a good result. To help with a cooling off period and to begin rebuilding trust, we would like to offer, in a spirit of goodwill for all, the following recommendations for everyone’s consideration, and assure you of our readiness to help in any way we can:

1. Let all sides refrain from bringing in external agencies to resolve Auroville’s internal issues, because it is not only an admission of failure, which will leave deep scars that will divide the community for a long time to come; it will also vitiate the atmosphere that might otherwise still bring about an internal resolution of issues.

2. In particular, to resolve disagreements among Aurovilians, we advise not to have recourse to call agencies of the state such as police or courts or to seek warrants, since that is explicitly against Mother’s will expressed on several occasions — “No army, no police” in particular.

3. We call on all to remember that in Mother’s own saying, the manner in which Auroville is built is as important, possibly more, than the outcome: “It’s not when Auroville has been completed: it’s the nations’ collaboration in creating something [that matters] – but creating something founded on the Truth instead of a rivalry in Falsehood’s creation. [What matters] is not when Auroville is ready – when Auroville is ready, it will be one city among all other cities and it’s only its own capacity of truth that will have power, but that … remains to be seen.” (21 September 1966) Therefore it is incumbent on all of us to help towards this “foundation on the Truth” and trust right now, not in a distant future.

4. We call for an actual practice of inclusiveness: differing views and perspectives are unavoidable, yet Auroville’s challenge is to bring them together and find ways to harmonize them. In particular: (1) Many experts in Auroville have done outstanding work in many fields; this expertise and experience must be fully utilized in the planning of a city; (2) A first step could be to identify common ground, such as any area of the development of the future city that stake-holders and experts will all agree on, and focus on that initially, rather than on contending issues; (3) Given recent developments, and Auroville’s outstanding work in eco-restoration for decades, which has earned it worldwide respect, a thorough environmental audit, by respected and independent experts, of current and future plans seems an urgent necessity.

Members of the International Advisory Council

Gabi Gillessen, Michel Danino, Hashmukh P. Rama, David Frawley, Dena Merriam

Statement of the AVI Board

Dear Dr. Jayanti Ravi,

Dear friends of the Auroville Working Committee,

It is with great dismay that we have learnt of the recent developments in Auroville and the major police operation which has led to several arrests among Auroville residents.

We are especially concerned that this event has taken place in the eve of Sri Aurobindo’s Mahasamadhi and that it has happened at a place which has been created by and for the youth of Auroville. We see it as a devastating sign in the light of Auroville’s efforts, which AVI is supporting by all means, to attract youth from all over the world, as also stipulated by the Governing Board in the minutes of its recent meeting. 

We urge all those involved in these operations to restrain themselves and take all necessary measures to de-escalate the situation in a spirit of mutual understanding and collaboration. We are very concerned that an aggravation of this conflict would only create a further and deeper division in the Auroville community as well as inner wounds that might take quite some time to heal, thus hampering the ideal of human unity we are all striving for.

Respectfully yours,

The Board of Auroville International (AVI)