Mumbai’s summary approach to environmental concerns such as the projected cutting of thousands of mangrove trees for a coastal road project is causing justifiable worry to conscious citizens, while thousands of residents have no means to make themselves heard. Unlike the controversy surrounding the impractical definition of the Aravali hills, where the Supreme Court walked back its own order and stayed the recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry committee last year, Mumbai’s mangroves appear to be getting short shrift among policymakers and the courts. The unintelligent treatment of mangroves, which constitute a unique and important ecosystem responsible for various products from natural capital, is apparent because policymakers are........

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