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The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Villupuram Collector visits Auroville to explore sustainable housing models
Villupuram Collector Shiek Abdul Rahaman visited Auroville recently to explore sustainable development practices, especially housing models. According to Auroville, the Collector, accompanied by J.E. Padmaja, Additional Collector, met officials of the Auroville Foundation and discussed cost-effective building techniques used in Auroville, for replication in rural housing development projects in Villupuram district. The team was taken around Auroville by Sindhuja Jagadeesh, member, Auroville Town Development Council, Antim, from the Admissions and Terminations Scrutinising Committee and Koshy Varghese, senior consultant for the Auroville Foundation. During the visit, officials from Villupuram surveyed low-cost and innovative material options for roofing and walling systems in Auroville. The team explored unique civil construction techniques that enable creation of buildings without heavy use of concrete, supporting multiple-storey structures up to two or three floors. A key highlight was the team's visit to the Centre for Scientific Research (CSR), where they observed the applications with Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB) and ferrocement channel roofing systems, a press note said. Later, the delegation visited Kinisi, an electric vehicle and cycle manufacturing and maintenance unit, housed in a building constructed using sustainable methods and an archetypal Aurovilian home, designed with lightweight roof and discussed options to resist heat during summer while remaining cost-effective. They also inspected a wood furniture workshop that repurposes wood from Auroville trees fallen during cyclones, promoting zero-waste practices. The last stop of the tour was the probiotics unit producing natural hand-washes, dishwashers, bath soaps, perfumes, and aromatic candles. According to the press note, the Collector found the sustainable housing solutions, particularly architecture and construction practices, impressive and expressed keenness to explore implementing similar eco-friendly, low-cost homes in Villupuram for the homeless and under the PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana). The Collector was also taken up by the handicrafts and self-sustainable units that support women entrepreneurs and youth in businesses, the press note added.
New Indian Express
29-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Villupuram collector explores Auroville's eco-tech for low-cost rural housing under PMAY
VILLUPURAM: District Collector S Shiek Abdul Rahman, accompanied by Additional Collector (Development) JE Padmaja and other officials, visited the Auroville Foundation on Tuesday to examine cost-effective and sustainable building techniques for potential implementation in rural housing development projects in Villupuram. The official team was joined by Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC) member Sindhuja, Admissions and Terminations Scrutinising Committee (ATSC) member Antim, and Senior Consultant to Auroville Foundation Koshy Varghese. The secretary of the Auroville Foundation is Jayanti S Ravi. The delegation toured various structures in Auroville, showcasing alternative construction methods. They observed low-cost roofing and walling systems, including buildings constructed without the heavy use of concrete, which support two- to three-storey structures. A visit to the Centre for Scientific Research (CSR) included demonstrations of Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB) and FC channel roofing systems. The team also visited Kinisi, a unit focused on electric vehicle and cycle manufacturing and maintenance, which operates in a sustainably constructed building. A furniture workshop using wood from cyclone-felled trees was also inspected, promoting a zero-waste approach.
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
On hills and inside forests, 17 remote Maoist-affected villages in Chhattisgarh finally get electricity
As many as 275 households at 17 remote Maoist-affected villages in Chhattisgarh's Mohla-Manpur Ambagarh Chowki district recently got connected to the electrical grid. The 17 villages are on the hills or surround the hills, covered by dense forests. The district has Bastar region to the south and Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district to the west. The 17 villages house a total of 540 households, of which 275 have received electricity connection to their homes. Work is underway to provide electricity to the remaining houses of those who have applied for a connection, officials said. The connection comes at a cost of Rs 3 crore under the Mukhyamantri Majratola Vidyutikaran Yojana. These remote villages are 30-50 km from the district headquarters. 'All the villages have been affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE). The electricity connectivity will bring a new ray of hope to their lives,' said Mohala Manpur Collector Tulika Prajapati. 'The biggest challenge was to transport and install equipment to villages located in dense forest and on and around the hills. We also got clearance from the forest department as the villages are on forest land,' said A K Ramteke, executive engineer, Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB). The villages are Katuljhora, Kattapar, Bodra, Bukmarka, Sambalpur, Gattegahan, Pugda, Amakodo, Petemeta, Tatekasa, Kundalkal, Raimanhora, Nainguda, Metatodke, Kohkatola, Edasmeta and Kunjakanhar. A Petemeta village resident, Lakesh Ussare, whose household is yet to get the electricity connection, told The Indian Express, 'We have still not received electricity in our household, but it has reached the streets of our village. So far, we have been dependent on solar lights, but they run out of charge by 8 pm, after which we live in the dark.' Ussare, a former sarpanch of the village, said the situation becomes even worse during the monsoon season 'as there is no proper road connectivity and the entire village gets muddy, making it difficult to do any activity'. 'I am happy that we are getting electricity and urge the government to speed up the work. We have filled up the forms,' he said.
