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Report on tree felling in Auroville

over 3.79.497 sqm

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10th January 2024 - Auroville

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Excessive clearing of understorey and tree felling following the stay on the National Green

Tribunal (NGT) judgment of 28th April 2022

The Auroville Foundation Office (AVFO) has been clearing an excessive amount of understorey and felling a large

number of trees following the stay on the NGT judgment that required proper planning to be prepared before any

further construction or tree felling could be undertaken in the Auroville project area.

Given the total area of roads that the AVFO plans to construct, Environmental Clearance under item 8 (b) EIA

notification 2006 would be required.

Furthermore, the width currently being cleared of understorey and trees exceeds the width as per the plans shared by

the AVFO / GB ATDC in many places (See “List of areas and roads Dec. 2023 as per AVFO / GB ATDC” )

The number of mature trees felled so far is over 1,000. (see report:

Brief overview of trees affected by ROW developments in Auroville dated 8th Jan 2024). Many of them have been left

in place, blocking roads and paths.

Of the 132+ species cleared, most fall under TDEF designation, and many are rare and endangered species, such as

Diospyros ebenum, Diospyros ferrea, Diospyros affinis, Drypetes sepiaria and Hildegardia populifolia. A considerable

oversight is the clearing of understorey in areas with high vegetation. This understorey consists primarily of naturally

regenerating native species that are important for the resilience of the local ecosystem, for stormwater management,

and to preserve biodiversity.

Many of the mature trees that have been felled in various area could easily have been integrated into the design of the

proposed roads. This would have had the overall advantage that the roads would be shaded, reducing the emergence

of heat islands in the planned city. This point is particularly highlighted by the tree felling executed by persons

employed by the AVFO of trees that were planted precisely as avenue trees along the existing Crown over 20 years

ago under the supervision of the planning department and chief architect Roger Anger, using funds obtained from the

European Union. The felling of these trees is particularly senseless, as not only had the road already been

constructed but the infrastructure, including streetlights, were also already laid in this section of the Crown. Any

additional infrastructural requirements could have easily been incorporated, without the need to remove these trees.

The felling of these trees seems a willful act of ignorance regarding the current global need to build cities while

retaining and preserving nature and trees wherever possible to avoid excessive urban heat islands and mitigating the

adverse effects of climate change.

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Furthermore, we would like to point out that:

1. The Master Plan - Perspective: 2025 does not qualify as a township plan, and cannot be implemented as such,

as it does not have the recognition of the Tamil Nadu planning authorities. Planning as per the TCPO in India

falls under the authority of the State.

2. It cannot be claimed that the city is being built as per the Master Plan - Perspective: 2025 if adjustments are

being made at will without going through the ratified community processes.

3. No detailed planning nor EIA and necessary studies have been made for these roads. The total square meters

of these proposed roads, calculated as per the list (with a width of 15m for radials, 16.7m for the Crown and

18m for the Ring road) comes to approximately 3.79.500 sqm, exceeding by far the 1.50.000 sqm limit as per

the EC requirements unter item 8(b) in the EIA notification 2006. Documented in this report, the actual width /

square meterage of what is being cut and cleared is far beyond this, often more than double to 3 times the

width. Nowhere in India can a project of this size be executed without prior EIA and Environmental Clearance.

4. No plans for any road adjustment have been submitted to the community for feedback and approval as per the

ratified community processes.

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