The seven hanging wonders of Mumbai: CR red-flags unfinished bridges across city

The local train is packed yet the compartment is silent The silence comes from the frustration and anger of commuters as the train halts in the middle of nowhere just short of Diva station This has become a daily ritual ldquoWhat is the use of rushing to catch the train on time when it ends up waiting here every dayrdquo asks officegoer Mandar Abhyankar visibly fed upMotorist Diwakar Dhond a resident of Maruti Mandir Road in Diva West faces the same misery on the road He spends around 30 minutes crawling across a 200metre stretch near the level crossing to reach the DivaShil Road and then NH48 ldquoAll that time is just waiting in long queues to cross the railway linesrdquo he says Everyone is angry Motorists wait for trains to pass trains wait for motorists to clear the crossing This happens more than 40 times a day delaying suburban and national train trafficDaily traffic pileup at the Diva level crossing which opens over 140 times a day PicsBy Special ArrangementThe reason behind this daily mess is a complete lack of planning and coordination between agencies The road overbridge ROB at Diva meant to eliminate the level crossing is structurally ready across the railway tracks but without land for its approaches on either side the multicrore project stands useless And this is not the only such caseCentral Railway recently raised a red flag over seven road overbridges across the Mumbai division where the railway portion is complete but the structure is literally hanging mdash unused mdash because local bodies have failed to build the connecting approaches According to internal records these stranded bridges across the CSMTKalyan main line KalyanKarjat and KarjatLonavla belts and PanvelRoha stretch remain incomplete due to land acquisition disputes court cases stalled tenders and municipal delaysThe hanging Diva road overbridge Unfinished approach work at the Vidyavihar ROB one of seven bridges stranded due to delays PicsBy Special ArrangementDespite the Railways completing their sections through costly mega blocks the bridges cannot be opened to the public defeating their very purpose Officials say the approach work in many locations has not even begun while in others halfbuilt ramps stand abandoned due to disputes with landowners or contractorsA Central Railway spokesperson said the situation is frustrating ldquoWe finished our part years ago Without approaches these bridges are useless Public money is locked up and the safety benefits of eliminating level crossings are not realisedrdquoThe delays have also negated the operational benefits mdash many of these ROBs were meant to replace level crossings and ease congestion For instance the Diva level crossing opens around 145 times a day delaying every train passing through the stretchA familiar storyldquoThis is not the first time civic bodies have delayed their partrdquo an official said ldquoThe Railways finish their portion under tight deadlines while municipal bodies struggle with land acquisition utility shifting tender delays or funding issues In the meantime crores worth of steel and concrete hang midair Vidyavihar and Diva are prime examplesrdquoPublic money locked upThe incomplete ROBs defeat their purpose of improving safety and reducing congestionThe railway section of the Diva ROB fully completed awaits connecting ramps from civic authoritiesWhat nextRailway authorities have issued reminders to agencies seeking urgent action But with several cases tied up in litigation and land disputes there is no timeline for when these bridges will openPolitics at playSources said the foundation of the Diva bridge was laid by Aaditya Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde possibly contributing to political frictionVoicesRatnakar Gaikwad CommuterldquoWhatrsquos the point of building half a bridge We have been waiting for yearsrdquoSuban Khan Member of commuter associationldquoThese ROBs are just monuments in the sky Until approaches are built theyrsquore uselessrdquoSubhash Gupta President of Mumbai Yatri SanghldquoPublic money is literally hanging in midair Authorities must coordinate before planningrdquoSeven lsquohangingrsquo overbridgesgtgt Diva station DivaMumbra sectiongtgt Vidyavihar CSMTKalyan sectiongtgt UlhasnagarAmbernath KalyanKarjat sectiongtgt Bhiwandi DombivliVasai sectiongtgt RohaNidi PanvelRoha sectiongtgt LonavalaMalavali LonavalaPune sectiongtgt NiljeTaloja Panchnand DombivliPanvel section