A land deal between the Government and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram almost a decade ago may continue to be the target of allegations from some quarters, but Ashram records clearly show that it was a well settled fact that the land was handed over by the government in 2006 and in exchange, the government took over the land belonging to the Ashram located at Reddiarpalayam.

Some political parties and groups have been raking up controversy over the land time and again.

An authoritative source in Ashram said, There is no question of encroachment. The Cabinet of the Union Territory approved the exchange of lands and each side exchanged their lands in 2006. The issue was settled once for all.

The area at beach also known as the Tennis Ground was a dumping ground and it was being eroded by the sea endangering that part of the city.

The then French Government requested the Mother if she would undertake the development of the said area under a lease. The Mother readily agreed and spent lakhs of rupees and turned what was an eye-sore into a beautiful playground for the benefit of the students of the Ashram School in particular, and elderly ashramites in general.

This area has been in the possession of Ashram since 1948. The Mother herself played tennis here for over ten years. The convocation of Sri Aurobindo International University Centre was also held here in 1951. The Tennis Ground is very dear and sacred to all the devotees and disciples of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo in India and all over the world, an ashramite said. The Government Poramboke land had been leased out to Ashram on a nominal lease and is being used only for physical educational purposes.

In 2006, at first, Sri Aurobindo Ashram requested the Puducherry Government to donate as a noble gesture and even prepared for an equitable exchange of part of its land at Reddiarpalayam village in lieu of the Tennis Ground. Proposing to surrender the land that was being utilised for agricultural produce for the benefit of the inmates of the Ashram, the Ashram told the government that market price for that property was far higher than Guide Line Value.

Based on the approval of Council of Ministers, the Government of Puducherry and Government of India agreed to alienate the government land to Ashram located on Beach Road. Subsequently Puducherry government issued on February 4, 2008.

The Government Poromboke land measuring 86,111.2 square feet which was under leasehold with Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust has been taken over as freehold by Sri Aurobindo Ashram on March 6,2008. On the same day, the Ashram handed over the land measuring 1.83 hectare to the government.

A Deed of Exchange was executed between the managing trustee of Ashram Manoj Das Gupta and then Sub Collector P.Jawahar on behalf of government on October 29, 2010.

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Ashrams tennis ground issue surfaces again