In Bhopal, a bridge with 90-degree turn draws criticism, minister says will look into it
A railway overbridge near Aishbagh Stadium in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has run into controversy just as it nears completion – not for delays or cost overruns, but for what some critics say is a fundamental design flaw that could make it unsafe for motorists.
Concerns have been raised around the bridge's sharp, almost 90-degree turn, which vehicles must negotiate soon after ascending. With the Congress taking to social media to take a jab at the design, the state PWD Minister Rakesh Singh promised to look into the issue.
'Whenever a bridge is made, a lot of technical considerations are taken into account. So if there are such allegations, we will look into it,' he said, while dismissing the Congress party's concerns as baseless and politically motivated.
Constructed at Rs 18 crore, the 648-metre-long, 8.5-metre-wide overbridge is intended to link the congested areas of Mahamai Ka Bagh, Pushpa Nagar, and the railway station zone with New Bhopal. Conceived as a relief project, it promised to eliminate long wait times at railway crossings and spare residents a circuitous detour that many have endured for over a decade. Government estimates suggested that the bridge would benefit around three lakh commuters daily.
The bridge, whose construction began in March 2023, has also faced delays. Initially set for completion in 18 months, it is only now approaching readiness after more than 36 months, delayed by factors such as the shifting of electrical lines and coordination issues between the Public Works Department and the Railways.
Public Works Department (Bridge Department) Chief Engineer V D Verma told PTI, 'Due to the Metro station, there is limited availability of land at the point. Due to the lack of land, there was no other option. The purpose of the RoB is to connect the two colonies.'
Only light vehicles will run on this overbridge, he said, adding that heavy vehicles will not be allowed. — With PTI inputs
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
High Court stay or not, Karnataka environment authority clears projects anyway
Court environmental clearances Smitha Harshal Salve The Karnataka State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (KSEIAA) is once again under scrutiny. A Division Bench comprising Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice G Basavaraja passed an interim order on January 17 while hearing a writ petition filed by Dodda Aswathanarayana Swamy. On April 9, 2025, the Highextended the interim order until the next date of hearing and directed that the matter be listed during the third week of this, the KSEIAA has continued to hold meetings and issuefor various projects across the state, seemingly disregarding the court's Shetty, an environmental activist from Mangaluru, has sought clarification under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) regarding the implementation of the High Court's stay order in Writ Petition No. 15267 of his application, Shetty stated, 'In Writ Petition No. 15267 of 2024, the High Court ordered that the matter under the impugned notification shall not be precipitated until the next hearing. Despite this stay, SEIAA Karnataka and SEAC Karnataka have continued to conduct meetings and issue environmental clearances. Kindly provide copies of directions or correspondence between the Ministry and SEIAA Karnataka or the Department of Ecology and Environment regarding the stay order issued on January 17, 2025.'In response, Dr Saurabh Upadhyay, Chief Public Information Officer and Scientist D, asked Shetty to remit Rs 1,694 for copies of the relevant documents, calculated at Rs 2 per page. The documents released confirm that the Union Ministry had indeed sought legal opinion from Senior Consultant (Legal),, regarding the High Court's interim opinion clearly interprets the order as a stay on the execution and operation of the Ministry's notification dated March 8, 2024 (OM SO 1188(E)). 'Considering the prayer in the petition... it can be very well interpreted that the Hon'ble High Court intends not to precipitate the operation of this notification,' she wrote. 'Hence, in view of the above... the Hon'ble High Court has stayed the operation of OM dated March 8, 2024. However, given the petitioner's repeated representations, it would be prudent to seek clarification from the Court to avoid any potential contempt.'Bangalore Mirror reported on the controversy in a February 11, 2025 article titled HC stays environment panel's appointments. Earlier, on January 3, 2025, it had also published Environment oversight: Unqualified appointments, highlighting how successive BJP and Congress governments were accused of appointing unqualified members to environmental panels, raising serious concerns over the integrity of environmental assessments in Karnataka.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Shashi Tharoor says he landed in London on Air India plane: ‘My heart goes out'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condoled the Air India flight crash near Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport on Friday. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, including 12 crew members, crashed shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. In a post on X, Tharoor wrote, 'Just landed in London on @airindia from Delhi to the awful news of the crash. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. 🕉️ शांति.' The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into the doctors' hostel near the airport perimeter. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Air India said that among the 230 passengers, 169 were Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian national. As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls made by ATC. Immediately after departure, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. The official said that heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site. (This is a developing story) Key Takeaways The crash involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people. Shashi Tharoor, a prominent political figure, expressed condolences on social media. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about air safety and the impact on families affected.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Dalits deserve dignity, not deception, says Channi
Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi targeted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for not attending the government-organised Kabir Jayanti celebrations in Jalandhar on Wednesday, even though they were reportedly just a few kilometers away. Channi was here in Ludhiana for campaigning in favour of the party's Ludhiana West byelection candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu. While addressing a press conference in Ludhiana on Thursday, Channi said Kejriwal and Mann had committed to participate in the Kabir Jayanti function, but instead spent their time at a private factory,' Channi alleged. 'Their absence is not coincidental — it reflects their deep-seated disregard for Dalit icons and sentiments.' Channi stated that the Kabir Bhawan in Jalandhar — constructed during the Congress regime at a cost of ₹12 crore — has been neglected by the AAP government. He also pointed out that despite machinery being provided by the previous government for cleaning the sarovar at Bhagwan Valmiki Teerth in Amritsar, the current administration did nothing to maintain it. Further, Channi slammed the AAP government for scrapping the ₹100 crore Baba Saheb Research Centre project proposed at Kapurthala Technical University during his tenure as CM. 'Not even a single brick has been laid in the past three years,' he said, terming it a betrayal of Baba Saheb's legacy. Channi also brought up the issue of a ₹25 crore grant that the Congress government had sanctioned for setting up a study centre on Guru Ravidas Ji's teachings at Dera Sachkhand Ballan. He alleged that the AAP government withdrew the cheque, and only revisited the Dera on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections, reissuing the same cheque — which, he claimed, has still not been encashed due to non-release of funds. Channi also attacked AAP's pre-poll promise of ₹1,000 per month to every woman, alleging that not a single rupee has been disbursed even after over 40 months in power. 'Girls in Punjab now ask their mothers every day, 'When will 'Kejriwal uncle' from Delhi deposit money into our accounts?'' he said.
