“With Dehradun’s Airport Expansion, We are Shooting Ourselves in the Foot”
Two years ago, drivers on the Doiwala-Rishikesh-Dehradun road were in for a surprise. An elephant walked onto the road. Traffic was disrupted and people...
Uttarakhand’s Forest Fires: Communities’ Voices on why they Recur
The Uttarakhand forest fires are in the news again. As various photos of raging fires circulated on social media, the Forest Department issued statements...
Hooked! Angling for Conservation
I was just a young boy when I caught my first fish. I felt excitement, anticipation and adrenaline all at once, as if I...
The Making of Increasing Tiger Attacks in the Sundarbans: Common Forest Dependencies, No Compensation,...
In February 2022, West Bengal’s Forest Department entrusted the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to look into the causes behind the surge in human-tiger conflict in the Sundarbans. The answer lies in the interplay between forest livelihoods, the pandemic, weak social security recourse post-attack, and the history of conservation in these mangroves.
Jal, Jangal, Zameen: The Paradox in Mumbai
Written by Stuti Pachisia
Mumbai is a city of dichotomies: on one hand, it invites thousands of migrants to indulge in its rapid urbanization by virtue...
50 Shades of Blue (Economy)
Co-authored by Simran Taneja and Aarathi Ganesan
In-Depth
For many developing countries, economic growth is facilitated by a booming manufacturing sector. Yet, in light of increasing...
The 2020 Delhi Riots: The Anatomy of Violence in the City
In what already seems like a lifetime ago, Delhi was burning. This was before the country went into a lock down in an attempt...
Flooded Bengaluru: Nature’s Wrath or Human Error?
Coauthored by Stuti Pachisia, Kartik Sundar and Chirag Chinnappa
“It only has to rain heavily for a short while for the city to get completely...
Out Of Breath: The Okhla Landfill
Filmed by Nabina Chakraborty and Ohida Khandahar
For years, residents of and around Delhi have witnessed mountains of waste popping up in different pockets...
In Rajasthan, a Public Land Protection Cell is Removing Encroachments, But Challenges Abound
A 2019 order passed by the Rajasthan High Court called for the formation of a Public Land Protection Cell, a district-level conflict resolution institution to investigate cases of encroachments on common lands. In this two-part series, The Bastion investigates the efficiency of these unique Public Land Protection Cells through interviews and information received via Right to Information applications. Part 1 uncovers the types of conflicts that occur on these “commons”, and how a delayed start to these cells and slow disposals might be plaguing their functioning.
