A French national, who has been a long-time resident in Auroville and headed a centre devoted to earth technologies, has been served a “Leave India” notice by the Centre, setting off a fresh round of recriminations between the camps that remain divided over shaping the “City of the Future”.
Serge Maini (Satprem), Director, Auroville Earth Institute, received the notice to leave the country by July 1 after the Auroville Foundation Secretary Jayanti Ravi revoked recommendation for visa, which in due course should have been valid till the end of 2025. He was informed of the decision and issued an exit permit upon being summoned to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Chennai on June 19.
This is the second instance of a foreign national being handed a notice to exit the country after Mael, another Aurovilian of French origin, was given marching orders to leave the country in February this year. In both cases, what precipitated the extreme punitive measure appears to be their role in the protests, since December 2021, against the Foundation’s resolute drive to implement a long-pending Master Plan for Auroville.
