Bombay High Court Orders Transfer of 10,000 Hectares of Mangrove Land to Forest Department
The Bombay High Court has issued a significant environmental directive, ordering six district administrations in the Konkan region — Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, and Sindhudurg — to transfer 10,000 hectares of mangrove land to the Maharashtra Forest Department within two months . The order, passed by a division bench comprising Justice Revati Mohite-Dere and Justice Sandesh Patil , came in response to a contempt petition filed by the Mumbai-based NGO Vanshakti in 2018 . The case underscores the persistent failure of local administrations to implement earlier court orders aimed at protecting the state’s vital mangrove ecosystems. Background of the Case The petition by Vanshakti , an environmental NGO, was filed after the state failed to comply with the Bombay High Court’s 2018 directions mandating the transfer of mangrove lands to the forest department’s mangrove cell for protection. According to Vanshakti, although 4,000 hectares of mangrove land ...