India, Dec. 12 -- On the ground, it's a sprawling construction site - primed to allegedly host a private resort, other commercial structures and a residential complex. On paper, it's an Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) abutting the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) - a buffer that's fast becoming theoretical as swathes are ceded to developers, and state bodies prioritise development over conservation and protection.

Here, in Chena village, just off Ghodbunder Road in Thane district, the erosion of the ESZ is unfolding in real time even as citizens and green activists are locked in a debate with state agencies intent on diluting the buffer zone around this critical green lung.

Satellite images reveal large-scale land alteration and ero...