Environment and Real Estate Conundrum - A Case of Okhla Bird Sanctuary # REEMA BALI* APARNA SONI** ABSTRACT A headline in The Hindu Business Line read: “Major relief for home buyers as tribunal tells government to defne Okhla green zone” The above headline would trigger certain basic questions pertaining to the regulatory framework for the real estate. The urbanising Indian landscapes are a juxtaposition of projects, schemes, spatial plans and policies under the ambit of series of legislations, executed by a nexus of actors and more recently safeguarded by ‘ judicial activism’. This research article intends to highlight a private real estate developer’s implausible trait of, ‘intentionally preferring to fght a court case at a later stage, than seeking innumerable permits at every stage’. There is a dichotomy of whether to play by the rules or opt for off the statutory measures. It also emphasises the defcit of well thought out strategic perspective of the legal bodies and the resultant impact on the real estate sector. The onset of sudden legislative activity and their arbitrary and unanticipated adoption fnds them diffcult to dovetail with the existing archaic legal system.Various milestones and events would be highlighted to enumerate the faults pertaining to the sector. Keywords: Private Real Estate Developers, environmental laws, eco sensitive zone, Judicial Activism. # Article was presented at ‘The 2016 Asian Real Estate Society’s (AsRES) Conference, Bangalore’ *Assistant Professor, School of Real Estate, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University, Noida. Email: rbali@rics.org **Assistant Professor, School of Real Estate, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University, Noida. Email: asoni@rics.org