Auroville tree felling issue: NGT grants interim stay till December 17

The residents of Auroville township in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district have some reason to cheer after days of protest against the Auroville Foundation felling trees and clearing of buildings to construct a new project.

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday granted an interim stay on felling of trees by the Auroville Foundation till December 17 when the case will come up for hearing again.

The foundation had begun clearing the existing buildings and cutting trees earlier this week to implement the Crown Road project or the ring road.

The residents of the township protested against the foundation’s move and wanted a dialogue with the concerned to arrive at a consensus to resolve the differences. However, the foundation began clearing buildings prompting two residents – Navroz Kersasp Mody and Sandeep Vinod Sarah – to move the NGT in Chennai.

Residents said the project aims at building a ring road for 4.4 km long for which trees and the iconic Matir Mandir have to be cleared, prompting them to protest.

Hearing the case on Friday, NGT judicial member Justice K Ramakrishnan and expert member Dr Satyagopal K said the counsel for Tamil Nadu submitted that the state government has no interest in this matter.

“Ongoing through the allegations made in the application, we are satisfied that there arises a substantial question of the environment as to whether any permission is required under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for cutting trees from an area which can be treated as a ‘Deemed Forest’ under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. So, the matter is admitted,” they said.

The bench ordered status-quo till December 17 and asked the Auroville Foundation to file their response or objection to the allegations made in the application on the next hearing date so that the question as to whether interim order will have to be continued or not can be considered on that date.

The Auroville Foundation Act was enacted by the Parliament of India in 1988 after the experience of the Auroville Emergency Provisions Act 1980. which was promulgated to take over the affairs and management of Auroville and all its undertakings pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court of India.

The Auroville Foundation, which was notified on 29.01.1991, has been functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Human Resource Development as a statutory (autonomous) body.

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