Mumbai, Jan. 22 -- More than 1,500 citizens have petitioned the chief minister, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other concerned authorities to halt the large-scale destruction of mangroves to make way for the Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road. While mangroves act as critical buffers against flooding, storm surges and cyclones, particularly for low-lying suburbs in the city's western corridor, the coastal road will effectively erase nearly 75% of the mangrove cover along the ecologically sensitive Manori Creek, the citizens said in a memorandum submitted to the BMC, the chief minister and other authorities on January 20. The 26.3-km road, which will require axing of 45,675 mangroves out of an estimated 60,000 along the Manori Creek, was approved by the Bombay High Court on December 12. An extension of the Nariman Point-Bandra coastal road and the under-construction Bandra-Versova sea link, the Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road will cut travel time between Versova and Mira Bhayandar and reduce the overall distance by more than 10 kilometres. The citizens' memorandum flags climate data showing Mumbai has recorded the highest rate of sea-level rise among Indian cities - around 4.5 mm annually between 2013 and 2022, more than three times the earlier rate. "Destroying mangroves at this scale will only accelerate disaster," the memorandum warned. "There seems to be no end to greed," said Sujata Gothoskar, 70, a researcher and one of the signatories to the petition. "For marginal travel-time gains, the long-term safety of the city is being compromised. The notion that mangroves can be destroyed here and 'recreated' elsewhere through compensation is deeply flawed." The BMC has said it will plant more than 1.3 lakh saplings - three times the number of mangroves felled - in Palghar district, with maintenance commitments spanning a decade. Rakesh Gholap, 28, another signatory to the petition, called the project "one of the most organised acts of ecocide", and warned that projections of Mumbai facing severe inundation by 2050 could be brought forward to 2030. "When that happens, who will take responsibility," he asked. Viren Gada, 50, also a signatory, said the full ecological cost of the project had not been independently assessed. "There are alternative, non-destructive ways to reduce travel time," he said. Hindustan Times reached out to the BMC for comments, but did not receive a response despite repeated attempts....