Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Mumbai Coastal Road project (MCR) will decongest the Western Express Highway, which carries around 60 per cent of the city's traffic, and that the Bandra-Versova section is targeted for completion by March 2028. He described the MCR as a parallel signal-free corridor needed because of the city's length, complementing the metro network that has reduced pressure on roads. Fadnavis said the project was undertaken after considering traffic patterns and the need for a continuous coastal link. Work on the Bandra-Versova sea link and the Versova-Bhayandar connectors is progressing despite rough sea conditions and high waves, and the stretches are designed to converge in the north after a project review. He noted that several court cases had been resolved in favour of the project and that work would accelerate after the monsoon. The government is aiming to complete the Bandra-Versova section by March 2028 and to finish the Versova-Bhayandar stretch and its connectors by December 2028. Separate plans have been prepared for monsoon and fair-weather periods, and a war room mechanism monitors progress daily to ensure timely execution. The administration expects construction management to maintain momentum and mitigate sea-related challenges through engineering and scheduling. Officials consider the coastal link part of a broader strategy to improve connectivity along the western corridor. Fadnavis said Maharashtra and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) recorded an increase in mangrove cover according to the Forest Survey of India, crediting sustained plantation drives, mangrove parks and conservation efforts. He added that when some mangroves must be shifted for infrastructure, the state has remained a leader in conservation. Preparatory works for next year's Kumbh Mela are under way at Trimbakeshwar, Ghrishneshwar and Parli Vaijnath, while Bhimashankar poses challenges because of forest cover, biodiversity and the habitat of the Indian giant squirrel. A village near Bhimashankar has agreed to relocate about one-and-a-half km and will be developed as an ideal village, and temple-related works planned to take one-and-a-half years were completed in six months.