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The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) transferred a four-hectare section of CTS No 83 in the Wadala-Antop Hill-Sion salt-pan belt to the Mumbai City Collector's office after the Bombay High Court criticised its delay in complying with earlier conservation-related orders. This land falls under a long-running matter that began with the 2005-06 BEAG case, which required mangrove-covered government land to be handed to the Forest Department. A contempt petition filed by NGO Vanashakti prompted the recent transfer, which now forms part of the broader compliance process.
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has transferred a four-hectare portion of salt-pan land in the Wadala-Antop Hill-Sion belt (CTS No 83) to the Mumbai City Collector. The handover took place the day after the Bombay High Court criticised the agency for not completing the transfer despite earlier directions. The matter came up in court after NGO Vanashakti filed a contempt petition highlighting the delay in implementing long-pending orders. Advertisement
This land is linked to the wider BEAG public-interest case of 2005-06, in which the High Court ruled that mangroves on government land must be recognised as forest areas and transferred to the Forest Department for protection. Although the judgment was reaffirmed in 2018, several land parcels across Mumbai had still not been formally transferred, leading to repeated follow-ups by environmental groups.
According to details placed before the court, the MMRDA submitted an affidavit stating that it took action once the advocate communicated the court's instructions. Officials from the Collector's office and the agency met for verification and completed the transfer formalities, following which the possession receipt was issued. The land is part of a larger 311-acre salt-pan stretch that supports mangroves and helps regulate tidal flow in this coastal belt.
Environmental organisations have raised concerns that delays in transfers may leave such land vulnerable to encroachment or misuse before it is brought under the Forest Department's control. Vanashakti's representatives stated that they pursued the matter because compliance had been inconsistent over nearly two decades. They also acknowledged that the recent transfer was a direct result of the High Court's intervention.
With the document now submitted, the court will review whether the steps taken fulfil the compliance requirement or if further directions are necessary. Several remaining parcels linked to the BEAG case still await formal transfer, and authorities are expected to continue updating the court as progress is made.
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