Metro services begin in Bhopal; excited residents flock to take rides, selfies
Bhopal (PTI): On the first day of the commercial run of the Metro services in Bhopal on Sunday, hundreds of residents enthusiastically took rides, expressing confidence that it will save time and provide relief from traffic jams.
An official said that the Metro’s first service began at 9 am from the AIIMS station, and by 6 pm, 5,731 people had travelled on the new mass-transit corridor.
He said that people, along with their family members, had been lining up for tickets since early morning. Several users were seen taking selfies and photos inside the Metro rakes and at stations.
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Earlier on Saturday, Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated the Metro service by flagging off a train from Subhash Nagar station on a 7.5-kilometre stretch, called the “Priority Corridor”.
With this, Bhopal became the 26th city in the country and the second city in Madhya Pradesh, after Indore, to have the Metro service.
Rao Singh, who took a Metro ride, told PTI Videos that besides saving time and money, the new mode of transport will provide relief from traffic jams and pollution.
Another passenger, who identified himself as Chetan, said he was happy that Bhopal is now on the “Metro list”.
Office-goers will benefit a lot due to the Metro service, said a young man named Akshay.
While the estimated cost of the 30.8-km-long Bhopal Metro project is Rs 10,033 crore, a sum of Rs 2,225 crore was spent on the ‘Priority Corridor’, according to officials.
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Four, including two siblings, dead, five injured as truck hits motorcycle and SUV in MP's Damoh
Damoh (PTI): Four persons, including two brothers, died and five others sustained injuries after a truck hit a motorcycle and a sports utility vehicle (SUV) in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district on Friday, a police official said.
The incident took place near Basa Tarkheda village, around 10 km from the district headquarters, close to a temple along Damoh-Sagar state highway in the evening, Sagar Naka police outpost in charge inspector Vikram Dangi said.
"The truck first hit a motorcycle, killing siblings Jeevan Ahirwar (33) and Suraj Ahirwar (30) on the spot. It then rammed into a Bolero, killing two persons identified as Raju Choudhary (50) and Dharmendra Sikhaiya (32). Five persons sustained injuries and have been hospitalised," he informed.
The truck driver and his assistant fled from the spot and efforts are on to nab them, the official added.
