Email Subject: Is IIT Madras flattening 100 acres of fertile organic farmland?

Dear IIT Madras,

I am writing to you to express my utter shock over the knowledge that 100 acres of Annapurna Farm, Auroville’s largest and most productive certified organic farm, is to be destroyed for a ‘sustainability campus’ for IIT Madras. Is the most reputed and prestigious educational institute of the nation in technological and scientific advancement partaking in the destruction of a 40 year old organic farm, to essentially build a vehicle testing track for EV trucks? 

This land is a model of regenerative agriculture on its 135 acres, with IMO Control (IMO IN) organic certification since 2005. It produced 35 tonnes of grains, fruits, fruit compotes and dairy products in the year 2024-2025 alone, and functions as the central granary for the residents of Auroville.

The Office of the Secretary, Auroville Foundation (AVFO), claims Annapurna uses only 35 acres, ignoring and refusing to accept the complex ecosystem that is necessary for organic farming. The farm constitutes 20 acres of paddy, 25 acres of fodder/biomass plantations, 30 acres of animal grazing, 38 acres of forest buffers, extensive rain water harvesting ponds, and essential infrastructure, as well as 6 acres that hold 2 cow houses, cow corral, storage and drying areas, machine workshop, poultry house, duck house, compost areas, community kitchen, the residential area, and dairy and fruit processing – all of which are critical links in running and maintaining an organic farm. The farm also provides livelihoods for 17-20 regular employees and up to 20 seasonal workers from surrounding villages.

In principle, this recent MoU seems to be in deep contradiction to the very ethos of IIT Madras—what it teaches, practices, and represents. For decades, the IIT-M’s faculty, students, and alumni have advanced sustainability across environmental, social, and economic dimensions, establishing the institution as a recognized authority in both government and civil society. I thus ask the following questions of you:

• Couldn’t IIT-M use the 163 acre IIT Madras Discovery Campus in Thaiyur Pudupakkam for this purpose? To my best knowledge, that campus remains largely underutilised.
• If using the current IIT Madras Discovery Campus isn’t possible, then why isn’t IIT Madras acquiring non-agricultural / infertile land for setting up the EV testing track and campus? 
• Shouldn’t IIT Madras be leading the way for initiatives like food localisation for a reduced environmental footprint, self-sustaining cities, and regenerative land use?
• The proposed sustainable campus will cause severe environmental damage. Why are you allowing this? Has there been a study conducted on the environmental impact of a test track for electric trucks on the farm itself to predict and reduce the negative impact of potential deforestation, erosion, water diversion, dust generation, and chemical contamination in the area? 
• The MoU signed between IIT Madras and the Auroville Foundation involves leasing 100 acres of land and is an agreement between two public entities. Why is it not published on the IIT-M website or made public in any way?

I earnestly request that IIT Madras makes the MoU public, demands a study on the environmental impacts of this planned intervention, and considers alternatives to flattening a 100 acre productive organic farm to build a new campus and EV truck testing track – perhaps its new 163 acre campus in Thaiyur.

Annapurna farm is not only a model of organic farming, but a continuously evolving research in action. No program genuinely committed to sustainability can justify dismantling a flourishing organic farm-an ecosystem painstakingly cultivated over years with minimal capital and extraordinary ingenuity and dedication by Auroville’s farmers. To replace such a living example of resilience with an e-vehicle innovation centre is not only environmentally unsound but also undermines the credibility of sustainability initiatives themselves.

The choice before you is not merely about land use. It is about upholding the integrity of sustainability as a guiding principle, ensuring that innovation does not come at the cost of what it claims to protect.

With regards,

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