Beneath the wide canopy of an ancient banyan tree, villagers—young and old, men and women—sit in a circle, pens and papers in hand, deep in conversation. Sunlight filters through the leaves as they review plans and voice concerns. Just beyond them, the ghostly outlines of a halted construction site loom in the distance. It’s a moment of collective pause—where tradition meets progress, and the right to be heard shapes the path forward.

Without structural reform, India’s environmental laws will continue to be band-aids on systemic wounds.