Maharashtra Mangroves Protected by Contempt, Not Commitment


India’s mangroves continue to survive not because of proactive governance, but because of persistent civil society action and judicial intervention.

A recent compliance report submitted to the Bombay High Court reveals that 955 hectares of mangrove land across seven coastal districts of Maharashtra were handed over to the Forest Department between October 16, 2025 and January 6, 2026. This handover followed a contempt petition filed in 2025 by NGO Vanashakti, highlighting the state’s failure to comply with long-standing court orders.

While this development is being presented as progress, the larger truth is deeply troubling: this compliance comes nearly seven years late.


A reminder of the 2018 landmark judgment

In September 2018, the Bombay High Court, acting on a public interest litigation filed by the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) in 2006, issued a landmark judgment to protect Maharashtra’s mangroves. The court directed that:

  • All mangrove areas on government land be declared “protected forests”

  • These lands be handed over to the Forest Department

  • The process be completed within 12 weeks

Mangroves were recognised not merely as vegetation, but as critical ecological infrastructure—protecting coastlines from flooding, storm surges, erosion, and the growing impacts of climate change.

Yet, years passed without full compliance.


Why contempt proceedings became necessary

Despite repeated representations by environmental groups, large tracts of mangrove land remained under the control of revenue departments, port authorities, salt departments, and other agencies—leaving them vulnerable to encroachment, dumping, and destruction.

In 2025, Vanashakti approached the High Court again, filing a contempt petition against the Maharashtra government for failing to implement the 2018 orders.

Only after this did measurable action begin.


What the latest compliance report shows

According to an affidavit filed by S V Ramarao, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Mangrove Cell), Maharashtra has now transferred 26,778 hectares of mangrove land to the Forest Department.

Key figures include:

  • 955 ha handed over across seven districts since October 2025

  • 289 ha in Mumbai city

  • 4,313 ha in Mumbai suburbs

  • Ratnagiri achieving full compliance with 2,899 ha transferred

However, compliance remains uneven:

  • Raigad: 931 of 4,104 ha

  • Sindhudurg: 103 of 157 ha

  • Thane: 13 of 447 ha

  • Palghar: just 2.5 of 4,670 ha

These numbers make one thing clear: judicial pressure—not administrative will—has driven action.


Why this delay matters

Mangroves are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems on Earth. They:

  • Act as natural buffers against cyclones and floods

  • Store massive amounts of carbon

  • Support fisheries and coastal livelihoods

  • Prevent erosion and saltwater intrusion

Every year of delay in protecting mangroves increases:

  • Disaster vulnerability

  • Biodiversity loss

  • Climate risk for coastal communities

Protection delayed is protection denied.


Compliance is not conservation

The High Court has also directed the Mangrove Cell to ensure on-ground protection through fencing, prevention of dumping, and removal of encroachments.

But Jungle Sena emphasizes that paper compliance is not the same as real conservation.

True protection requires:

  • Continuous monitoring

  • Clear demarcation on the ground

  • Accountability of district collectors

  • Public disclosure of progress

  • Zero tolerance for violations

Mangroves cannot be protected only when courts intervene.


Jungle Sena’s position

Jungle Sena welcomes every hectare of mangrove land brought under forest protection. But we refuse to celebrate delayed compliance forced by contempt proceedings as a success story.

We demand:

  1. Immediate, time-bound transfer of all remaining mangrove lands

  2. Transparent, district-wise public reporting

  3. Strict action against encroachers and violators

  4. Permanent legal and physical protection of mangroves

Mangroves are not wastelands.
They are not development obstacles.
They are Maharashtra’s climate shield.

Until forest protection becomes a matter of governance—not litigation—Jungle Sena will continue to speak, document, and resist.

Forests protected by law must not survive only by contempt.

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