Railway overbridge with 90 degrees turn raises eyebrows; people of Bhopal question its safety
Bhopal, Jun 11 (PTI): A railway overbridge (RoB) built near Aishbagh Stadium in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal has become the talk of the town even before its official launch as it has a peculiar 90 degrees turn, with locals residents raising concerns over potential risks to commuters.
Officials associated with its construction argue that they had no other option than building it this way given the paucity of land and the presence of a metro rail station nearby.
This RoB, which is almost ready, is aimed at facilitating the movement of people from Mahamai Ka Bagh, Pushpa Nagar, and the station area to New Bhopal.
Before its construction began in March 2023, the government had said that once it becomes operational, people of Aishbagh area will neither have to wait at the railway crossing nor will they have to take a long detour. It also claimed that about three lakh people will benefit from it every day.
This overbridge, built at a cost of Rs 18 crore, is 648 metres long and 8.5 metres wide, the officials said.
However, due to its ninety degree turn, social media users as well as local residents have raised question marks over its design.
This kind of turn can lead to accidents as vehicles may find it difficult to negotiate the turn due to the angle, they said.
However, 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 small vehicles will run on this overbridge, he said, adding that heavy vehicles will not be allowed to use it.
"It will be operated with full safety and the speed of vehicles as per the instructions of the Indian Road Congress," he said.
After the closure of the Aishbagh railway crossing, there was a demand for a railway overbridge in this area.
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Niqab incident: Nitish Kumar perhaps revealing his true colours, says J-K CM
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his Bihar counterpart over the niqab incident and said that Nitish Kumar might be slowly revealing his true nature.
"Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours," Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.
Abdullah said Kumar removing the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor was wrong and cannot be justified by any means.
"We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong.
"If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong," the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
Kumar stirred a huge controversy after he removed the face veil of a Muslim woman at a function earlier this week.
