Following the different concerning and alarming events of these last days , The Working Committee has sent an urgent update to the community:
Urgent updates from the Working Committee dt. 3rd June 2022
Dear friends,
We want to share a few updates.
- On Wednesday 1st in the evening our email account password was reset, locking us out of [email protected]. Until access is restored, please contact us at [email protected]
- Similarly, the massbulletin service provided diligently by Mauna for many years has also been taken over. Emails received from [email protected] are being coordinated by those not respecting the Residents’ Assembly decisions, structure and functioning with the support of the Secretary and Foundation Office. Please be aware that the Working Committee selected by the Residents’ Assembly will not be able to give its messages through that service or directly through Auronet, but alternatives remain and more are being set up. Updates will be shared shortly.
- The locks to the Working Committee office and meeting room in Town Hall were also changed on Wednesday evening, so the rooms will for now be occupied by those illegitimately claiming to be the Working Committee – despite the overwhelming results of the recent Residents’ Assembly Decision.
- Regarding the Register of Residents (RoR) update:
- We understand that the Undersecretary has asked the Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS) and Auroville Council to not allow even General Meetings to take place. We want to acknowledge the integrity and dedicated service which continues to be shown by the RAS team and Auroville Council under extraordinary pressure.
- There is no legal basis for the RoR update to interfere with the Residents’ Assembly processes. Not for decision making, visa recommendations or public meetings.
- There is no legal basis for the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation to ‘strike off’ names from the Register of Residents for not completing their recent requests for information. The entry / admission and exit / termination of those listed as Aurovilians on the master-list and RoR is solely a responsibility of the Residents’ Assembly. Please see the gazetted Regulations for more information.
- The Working Committee understands that residents have different degrees of sensitivity towards the request from the Auroville Foundation Office and around their personal data. Please see our previous comments on this issue here, and be assured that we will stand up against any improper practice or mistreatment of residents resulting from them filling, or not filling the requested form.
- A clarification on the visa situation in Auroville, with more detailed numbers and timeframes, is currently being prepared and will be shared shortly.
- We aspire to embody and express ourselves from a place of togetherness rather than from the ‘us and them’ perspective. While holding this aspiration at heart, at present we believe the Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly shall stand for the integrity of Auroville’s values and spirit in practical ways. Appropriate steps continue to be taken to address the on-going and unjustified interventions into the functioning and authority of the Residents’ Assembly.
We thank you for your support in these intense times. Let us all aspire towards greater peace, truth and harmony.
On a side note, although Chali and Elisa are not physically present in Auroville, they are working from a distance and are therefore full signatories of our communications.
Sincerely,
The Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly