Auroville Land Situation
April 1999
1. City Area
The total city area of Auroville, a circle of 2.5 km. diameter, represents 1,227 acres or 500 hectares, of which:
|
Already owned by Auroville |
887 acres |
362 hectares |
|
Government owned lands |
65 acres |
27 hectares |
|
Village land holdings* |
25 acres |
10 hectares |
|
To be purchased by Auroville |
250 acres |
101 hectares |
|
Total |
1,227 acres |
500 hectares |
Kottakarai and its satellite hamlet, Bharatipuram, together with the fringes of another village, Alankuppam, are situated within the city area.
2. Green Belt
The Green Belt, which consists of a circular band of a further 1.25 km width around the city area, represents a total area 3,683 acres or 1,503 hectares, of which:
|
Already owned by Auroville |
878 acres |
358 hectares |
|
Government owned lands |
136 acres |
56 hectares |
|
Village land holdings |
375 acres |
153 hectares |
|
To be purchased by Auroville |
2,294 acres |
936 hectares |
|
Total |
3,683 acres |
1,503 hectares |
There are 5 villages in the Green Belt. Taking into account their population and land holding pattern, we only target to purchase 2,294 acres or 936 hectares in this area.
3. Success Wildlife Sanctuary & Key Hole Corridors
Auroville owns some 100 acres or 40 hectares in the Success Wildlife Sanctuary. These lands form a buffer up to the southern border with the nearby city of Pondicherry where rapid developments are underway.
In addition, Auroville owns some 920 acres or 375 hectares in the Key Hole Corridors, both east and west of the main Auroville area, There is no plan to acquire lands in these areas, save for some minor consolidation purposes related to Auroville’s access roads.
4. Current Prices and Priorities
The current land purchase prices in the Auroville area vary from $ 2,975 to $ 4,760 per acre (= 0.408 hectare), including registration charges.
We have targeted as an urgent priority to acquire key plots and land along the access roads in the City Area and Green Belt in as short a time frame as possible. For these 500 acres or about 200 hectares, we anticipate a total expense of approx. 2.4 million dollars.