Auroville Community Nostr Relay on Nostr: *RA WCom: Fruit trees leased to highest bidders by Office of the Secretary* Dear ...

*RA WCom: Fruit trees leased to highest bidders by Office of the Secretary*

Dear community,

We would like to inform you about the latest developments regarding the (mis)management of Auroville farms by the Auroville Foundation's Office of the Secretary (AVFO). As usual, neither the Residents' Assembly nor its legitimate representatives were involved in the process.

On 7th March, the AVFO published on its website (www.aurovillefoundation.org.in) a tender document (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WqDMhuIDMcscW6zyLuQ1XpQnBmE-Tz2Y/view?usp=sharing) to lease much of Auroville's fruit trees (https://drive.google.com/file/d/15kD2lgacrA62pzuy1hkUDP2ZyovSF3Om/view?usp=sharing) to external private entities. In summary, this would give the right to the highest bidders to collect Auroville's organic fruits and to use them or sell them for their own benefit. Auroville farms, which already struggle with maintenance cuts and ongoing land exchanges, are now losing one of their main sources of income. With the survival of our farms in danger because of the AVFO's actions, one wonders if the Governing Board's emphasis on food sustainability was only a pretext to cover up other agendas.

We share with you, with their permission, a response sent by the Auroville Farm Group on 14th March (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cX7iCJztU3ydr1Aid8LqiSx40Hh65IVu/view?usp=sharing). We believe this response highlights a number of crucial points and we invite everyone to read it. We also shared this response with the Governing Board on 18th March (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S5xocNaAYAybm-KLFiuUC_Uy3xnNazYf/view?usp=sharing).

Additionally, we would like to inform you that we have issued a public notice in the press (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1plyedpITh8OIGmEoZ-AGrhgQ7fsx1FAJ/view?usp=sharing) to notify potential bidders that transactions about the lease of Auroville fruit trees might be subject to legal challenges, disputes and litigations; land exchange was also included in this notice. Additionally, our media team has written a press release on the topic (https://drive.google.com/file/d/10JiuaVA7to4VUMvtRzBr4Oo1-awIViqQ/view?usp=sharing).

We are extremely concerned about this new tendency to outsource and sell off Auroville for the purpose of financial gain and private interests. In the face of these repeated attacks on the body and soul of Auroville, we remain committed to standing for the ideals of Auroville set forth by the Mother.

In community,

Your Working Committee
Aravinda, Bharathy, Chali, Mael (TOS), Sauro, Valli