Residents of Auroville, a global township spread across Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, are upset that the Union government has revoked the stay visa of Auroville Earth Institute Director Serge André Marie Maini, also known to residents as Satprem Maini. A French national born in Algeria, Satprem Maini has been in India for 34 years building sustainable structures. Auroville residents have started a petition asking India not to evict him and have blamed Auroville secretary Jayanti S Ravi IAS for revoking his permission to stay in Auroville, though his visa was valid until December 2025.
In a public appeal, the residents said, “Satprem was told by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Chennai that his visa recommendation has been revoked by the secretary of the Auroville Foundation and that he must leave India by the 1st of July.” Recently, Satprem Maini had pointed out flaws in the recently built controversial Crown Road within Auroville.
The Crown Road, envisaged by the Auroville Foundation and the Union government to pass through all villages in Auroville, has been a point of confrontation with the residents, who are opposing it on grounds of environmental damage. Though Auroville enjoys autonomy, its board members are Union government nominees and an IAS officer is the secretary of the Foundation. Jayanti Ravi, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, was posted to Auroville in 2021.
Jayanti Ravi
Satprem Maini, in a letter to the residents, called the revoking of his visa a retaliation for his actions questioning the road. “I assume that this is a retaliation because I have been writing reports on the poorly built Crown Road, which does not comply with any India standards. These reports were meant to inform the Secretary, the Governing Board and the International Advisory Council of Auroville of these malpractices and suggested that they correct them for a better quality,” he said.
He also alleged, “Instead of being listened to, I have been sanctioned because I have been reporting only true facts, which can all be proven, for this road construction and other possible corruption. The Secretary did not give me any notice or explanation before issuing this letter, and she did not follow a process that respects any principles of natural justice.”
He added that he has been thrown out like garbage. “I have given almost 34 years of my life to Auroville, given all the money from my savings to Auroville, created Millions of Rupees of assets in Auroville, contributed to large developments in India and made the Auroville Earth Institute one of the world leaders in the field of earthen architecture. And now I am thrown out like a piece of garbage,” he said.
The appeal asking for extension of Satprem’s visa added, “At the request of residents and working groups of Auroville, Satprem has meticulously documented the implementation of the ‘crown road’ works being carried out by the Office of the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation. As a result of this research and analysis, given his known expertise in this field, he has recorded as well as highlighted the numerous issues arising due to very poor ad hoc planning and design, shoddy implementation of works and substandard materials used.”
The residents also asked, “Has the decision to evict him from India been set in motion as a result of this systematic documentation of mismanagement? A dispassionate inquiry would bring out the facts.”
Speaking to TNM on the condition of anonymity, an Auroville resident said, “The FRRO sent a letter last week summoning Satprem to the Chennai office. He met them on Monday, June 19 when he was notified about the cancellation of his visa that was valid until December 2025.”
The resident also added, “We all are very shocked. Satprem has been working dedicatedly for Auroville and India. He helped build the Dhyanalinga Dome of Isha, a Shiva temple near Puducherry, and more. After the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, he helped build 300 relief structures. Also, a community centre that Auroville Earth Institute built in Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh received the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Award under the Low Carbon category. The centre had produced the lowest carbon footprint internationally in that year.”