Chennai, Villupuram MP and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader D. Ravikumar has called upon Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to immediately intervene in the dispute between the Auroville Foundation and members of the Resident Assembly.

Auroville has been tense for the past few days after the Auroville Foundation and Town Development Council (TDC) brought in earthmovers and cleared a few meters for laying a road for the Crown project of the foundation.

The project targets to implement four zones -- industrial, cultural, residential and recreational -- which will go out of the Matrmandir, the centre of Auroville which was established in 1968 for universal peace. People from across the globe stay in the township floated by the Auroville Foundation in Villupuram.

The Auroville Resident Assembly is of the opinion that they were not blocking development, instead they were requesting for the community process to be followed. A Resident Assembly member told IANS: "We generally make decisions as a community through a process and this decision is approved by the Resident Assembly. Here the Auroville Foundation has not followed this process and is charging that we are blocking development which is not true."

Mother members of the Resident Assembly had alleged that some members in the Auroville Foundation were adamant to implement their decision which was not approved by the Resident Assembly. The residents say that the Foundation and the TDC had brought in earthmovers to cut and remove the trees which were blocked by the residents but at 1 a.m., the TDC and Auroville Foundation came and created a scene with the police.

The Villupuram MP said that it was the Auroville Foundation that was responsible for providing Green cover to the Villupuram district through its afforestation programme.

Ravikumar said that the secretary of the Auroville Foundation had decided to go ahead with the project around Matrimandir and the Union government has provided funds.

He said that even after the Auroville Resident Assembly had objected to the move and sought an alternate road, there has been no further development regarding a meeting between the members of the foundation and the NGO.

He said that the Auroville Residents had complained that the foundation members were trying to go ahead with the project and were bypassing the Auroville Act and the genuine concerns of the Resident Assembly.

Ravikumar said that such moves on the part of the Auroville Foundation will lead to resentment and the issue would be blown out of proportion.