Mumbai, Jan. 30 -- Full-scale construction of the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road has begun after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) received a crucial working permission from Maharashtra's mangrove cell, marking a major milestone for the long-pending Rs.22,000-crore infrastructure project. The clearance, granted on January 20, followed the Bombay High Court's approval last month, allowing the civic body to proceed despite the project's impact on mangroves. Construction will require the removal of up to 45,673 mangroves from the nearly 60,000 along the alignment. "We received the last permission on January 20-the working permit from the mangrove cell," said Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects). The proposed corridor will run from Versova through Mumbai's western suburbs to Dahisar and terminate at Mira-Bhayandar. It is expected to dramatically cut travel time between Versova and Mira-Bhayandar from nearly two hours to less than 20 minutes. P4...