Mumbai, Jan. 25 -- With elections to various municipal corporations now over, rail commuters from Diva have threatened to launch protests if the long-pending Diva road over-bridge (ROB) project is not completed soon. Commuter groups have issued ultimatum letters to the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and Central Railway (CR) to either finish the ROB or construct a subway to avoid further delays and ease congestion at the railway crossing. A girder for the Diva ROB was built over the railway tracks in 2019, but the project has remained stalled since then due to land acquisition disputes and coordination issues between civic and railway authorities. Representatives of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, a railway commuters association, said that despite repeated assurances, follow-ups and partial construction activity since 2019, the bridge remains incomplete. Commuter organisations warned that if no concrete action plan or timeline emerges after their representations, they will be forced to resort to peaceful protests in the interest of commuter safety. "This [delay] is forcing lakhs of commuters to face daily chaos, delays, and life-threatening overcrowding," said Siddesh Desai, a member of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh. "We have made formal representations and submitted letters to civic and rail authorities, asking them to urgently intervene and complete this ROB. The authorities can also look at the option of building a subway here since they are struggling to acquire land for construction of approaches to this ROB." Rail passenger associations said that constructing separate subways for eastbound and westbound traffic can immediately reduce gate closures, improve train punctuality, ease overcrowding and lower the risk of accidents. They added that prolonged closures often lead to traffic logjams along the rail corridor, affecting both suburban and long-distance trains on the slow and fast lines. According to commuter groups, around 800,000-900,000 vehicles pass through the Diva level crossing daily. The gate shuts about 39 times a day and is ideally meant to remain closed for two to three minutes at a time. However, during peak hours, it often stays shut for eight to 12 minutes. In the event of an untoward incident, train services can be disrupted for 20 to 30 minutes, they said. The rail authorities said that they are also talking to the local residents whose land is being sought for the completion of this ROB. Several landowners whose properties have been acquired for the project continue to oppose the process, claiming the acquisition is illegal and that they have not received compensation from the TMC. Some warned that the project may face further delays unless the compensation issue is resolved. They have demanded compensation at rates similar to those paid for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. "The authorities have already demolished two buildings owned by us and want 13 gunta of land," said Pandurang Bhoir, a local resident who had to give his land for the ROB project. "I have complained about the land acquisition itself as alignment has been changed to suit local political leaders whose offices were in the earlier alignment."...