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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Karnataka MLA Vinay Kulkarni disqualified after conviction in Goudar murder case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Saturday issued an official notification regarding the disqualification of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in the murder case of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.
The former minister is currently in prison, serving life imprisonment in the case.
“Consequent upon the conviction of Vinay Kulkarni, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Dharwad constituency, by the LXXXI Additional City Civil & Sessions Judge, Bengaluru City (CCH-82), in Spl CC No. 565/2021, he stands disqualified from the membership of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction, i.e, April 15, 2026,” the notification read.
“He stands disqualified in terms of the provisions of Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India, read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years after his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court,” it added.
Hence, one seat in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has fallen vacant, the notification said.
Bypolls were held on April 9 to fill two other seats in the 224-member Assembly that fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLAs. The results will be declared on May 4.
On April 15, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder. Subsequently, on April 17, the court sentenced Kulkarni and 15 others convicted in the case to life imprisonment.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at that time. Hired assailants attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym at Saptapur in Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Vinay Kulkarni as the “main conspirator.” It alleged that he perceived Yogeshgouda Goudar as a growing political rival in Dharwad and hired contract killers to eliminate him.
Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021 under certain conditions, including a ban on entering Dharwad district. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail following allegations of witness tampering and attempts to influence prosecution witnesses.
Kulkarni again sought bail in January 2026, but the High Court rejected it, citing judicial propriety.
However, the Supreme Court granted him bail on February 27 after noting that all witnesses had been examined.
