The first Orange Line stretch opens today, connecting Subhash Nagar and AIIMS ahead of public operations from December 21. Bhopal steps into a new phase of urban mobility on Saturday with the inauguration of its first-ever metro service, a milestone that positions the Madhya Pradesh capital alongside India’s emerging modern transit cities. The launch will take place at 5 pm at Subhash Nagar Metro Station, as per India Today, where Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will flag off the inaugural run before travelling up to AIIMS. The opening of the Orange Line’s priority stretch marks the first operational segment of the wider 30.8-km Bhopal Metro project, an urban rail system designed to ease road congestion, improve travel reliability, and offer a cleaner, safer alternative to crowded city traffic. With Bhopal’s population expanding and road density rising, the launch of this first corridor is being seen as the starting point of a long-awaited transformation in how the city moves. What Is The Bhopal Metro Project, And How Big Will The Network Be? The Bhopal Metro project spans 30.8 km across two main corridors, supported by a common depot at Subhash Nagar. The design connects key residential zones, commercial hubs and major transit points to enable faster east–west and north–south movement. The two corridors are: Which Stretch Will Open Today? The first operational section is the around 7-km priority corridor of the Orange Line between Subhash Nagar and AIIMS. This stretch includes eight elevated stations: Subhash Nagar, Kendriya Vidyalaya (or Kendriya School), DB Mall, MP Nagar, Rani Kamalapati Station, DRM Office, Alkapuri and AIIMS.

Madhya Pradesh SIR update: After more than one-and-a-half month of door-to-door Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Madhya Pradesh, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will release the draft electoral roll of voters for the state on Tuesday, election officials said on Monday. The official sources in the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) here in Madhya Pradesh told IANS that, preliminary assessment suggesting that the names of nearly 41.8 lakh voters, that is, about 7.2 per cent of the electorate, are likely to be deleted from the SIR. According to the IANS report, preliminary data show that, of the 41.8 lakh names flagged, 8.4 lakh voters were found dead, another 8.4 lakh were marked absent, 22.5 lakh had shifted to other locations and 2.5 lakh were registered at multiple addresses. In Bhopal, where there are 21.25 lakh registered voters, about 4.3 lakh names — 20.23 per cent are likely to be dropped in the draft electoral rolls. While in Indore, with 28.67 lakh voters, saw 4.4 lakh names flagged; Gwalior may lose 2.5 lakh names of its 16.49 lakh electorate; and Jabalpur could lose 2.4 lakh names from 19.25 lakh. However, all these numbers are a just assessment, and the exact number of voters deleted would be known only after the final electoral draft is published by the ECI on Tuesday, an official added. The ECI has extended the schedule of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in five states: Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, against December 11. More than 65,000 BLOs (Booth Level Officers) were tasked with conducting a door-to-door visit for verification of voters from November 4, while more than 6.65 crore voters were enrolled in 2023 in Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh has a total of 230 Assembly seats and 29 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across the 55 districts, divided into 10 divisions such as Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Chambal, Narmadapuram, Rewa, Sagar, Shahdol, and Ujjain. More than 65,000 booth-level officers (BLOs) visited households across cities, towns and villages to verify voter details since November 4, the SIR excercise had begun in the state.

Madhya Pradesh is facing a severe cold wave as minimum temperatures plunge and dense fog blankets several districts. Bhopal recorded its lowest temperature this season at 4.8°C. Visibility dropped to 50 metres in some areas, prompting weather alerts across multiple districts. Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh is experiencing biting cold with significant drops in minimum temperature, dense fog, and below-normal conditions. There is no respite from the severe cold wave condition. On Tuesday-Wednesday night, the far below normal temperature caused severe cold wave like conditions due to icy winds from North India. Bhopal shivered with 4.8 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest temperature in the current season. This is considered the third coldest night in the last decade since 2016. Night temperatures dropped sharply in several districts across the state. The minimum temperature in Indore was 5.4 degrees, while in Ujjain and Jabalpur it was 9 degrees, and in Gwalior, 9.5 degrees Celsius was recorded. Visibility drops to 50 metres Earlier on Tuesday morning, nothing was clearly visible beyond 50 metres in several places, including Rewa, Morena, and Raisen. In Bhopal, visibility in the morning was 500 meters to 1 kilometer. A yellow alert has been issued for moderate fog and cold waves at isolated places in Bhopal, while moderate fog is likely at isolated places in the Vidisha, Singrauli, Shahdol, Umaria, Katni, Jabalpur, Damoh, Sagar, and Maihar districts. Cold Wave is likely at Raisen, Sehore, Rajgarh, and Shajapur Districts. Dense fog is likely at isolated places in the Gwalior, Datia, Bhind, Morena, Sidhi, Mauganj, Satna, Panna, Tikamgarh, and Niwari districts. Very dense fog is likely at isolated places in the Rewa and Chhatarpur districts.

A horrific accident in Madhya Pradesh has claimed the life of a 35-year-old man after a bridge suddenly collapsed. The man, identified as a former CRPF jawan, was returning from his sister’s wedding on Monday morning when the collapse occurred on the Nayagaon bridge along the Bareilly–Pipariya State Highway. The bridge gave way without warning while repair work was underway beneath it. As two motorcycles were crossing, the collapsing section fell, causing the bikes and their riders to plunge. Four bikers and a labourer were severely injured; six labourers working under the bridge narrowly escaped, though one was hit by debris.

The university claimed that students are debarred based on their attendance (minimum 75%) in that particular subject. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) VIT Bhopal has responded strongly to allegations by a government committee that there is an atmosphere of fear on campus, and claimed that the violence which broke out over a jaundice scare last month was due to fake news spread on social media. In its reply to the government panel, VIT Bhopal said that on November 25, when violence broke out, there was “a sudden onslaught of fake news regarding the death of three students and 300 others being in critical condition.” The reply stated there were “posts in the student WhatsApp groups to provoke our students to come out and lodge protests”. The university administration claimed it “tried to explain the position to the students and to assuage the situation.” “However, students in Boys Hostel 1, 6 and 8 still went on with their protest, perhaps being instigated by some persons. Therefore, the management had to take steps to control the situation by informing the police administration to ensure safety and security,” the reply stated. A government-ordered committee had been formed to look into the violence, where around 4,000 students went on a rampage on the varsity premises. The university responded that in cases of jaundice, the medical advice is that a patient should take rest and a regulated diet. “The respective parents were informed of the medical situation, and it is on their specific request that the students were sent home. This was also to help them to regulate the food intake as per medical requirement and individual taste, the scope of which is limited in a hostel,” the reply stated. The government probe also found that the administration had turned the campus into a “fortress-like structure”, that there was an “atmosphere of fear-based discipline”, and that the food and water facilities left a lot to be desired. The university has denied allegations regarding authoritarian attitude and harassment of students. “The allegations of a fearful atmosphere are unfounded. The university enjoys a peaceful, cordial and harmonious relationship with the students. Other than regular academic activities, the university conducts various extracurricular activities, sports and games and cultural activities throughout the year,” the reply stated. The university claimed that students are debarred based on their attendance (minimum 75%) in that particular subject. “In some genuine cases, relaxation is provided by the University. As regards ID cards, there is no threat of confiscation as alleged. In order to ascertain the correct identity of a student involved in any disciplinary activities, the ID card is being checked and returned forthwith,” the reply stated. The state’s higher education minister, Inder Singh Parmar, had assured an investigation following allegations that the district’s chief medical health officer was detained at the university gates for two hours. The university called the allegation misleading. “In fact, if we receive prior information regarding such visits, a proper welcome is accorded by the security. The assistants of the CMHO were at the gate for about 10 minutes waiting for the CMHO to arrive, and our security was coordinating with our medical team and hostel authorities to facilitate smooth passage. In fact, during our discussion with the inspection team in the presence of the CMHO, the latter stated that the officials were on the campus for nearly two hours for inspection and not waiting time,” the reply stated. On the allegations of poor quality food at the hostels, the university said the food arrangements for these hostels are run by reputed caterers from Indore, Bhopal The university has claimed that the food menu is decided after monthly meetings with the Student Committee members. They said that the faculty and students eat from the same mess, and on the night of violence on November 25, there were no complaints of food quality. To maintain consistent quality, the university “employs a hospitality manager trained in a 5-star hotel environment, and a student committee is actively involved in deciding the menu,” it said. The university claimed that there have been “many cases where the students initially opted to stay outside the campus but soon came back to stay in the hostels. This itself shows the quality and the standard of living in our hostels.” To ensure better water quality, the university assured that it has upgraded the existing purification system by introducing advanced ozonizers that help remove harmful microbes and enhance the taste of water. “Additional sand filters and a water softener are also being installed to improve the overall filtration process… the university is forming a dedicated Water Quality Control Committee comprising faculty members and student representatives,” the reply stated. When contacted, a university spokesperson said, “We have submitted our report to the government. Our main contention is that the way in which water samples were collected did not follow proper procedures. We have also explained that there was no atmosphere of fear, and we need some kind of discipline to manage 17,000 students.”

The agitation against Verma will begin on Friday from Vallabh Bhavan (State Secretariat). The protest will be launched at 7 pm with the blowing of a conch shell at the statue of Maharana Pratap. Earlier, Hindu Utsav Samiti and other outfits held a meeting under the banner of Brahmin Samaj Sanyukta Morcha. Bhopal News: Brahmin Samaj To Gherao CM House Seeking IAS Officer’s Dismissal | Representative Image Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Brahmin Samaj Sanyukta Morcha will gherao the CM House on Sunday demanding the dismissal and arrest of AJJAKS president Santosh Verma over his controversial remarks against Brahmin girls. Other Brahmin community organisations will also join the agitation. The community has termed the government’s action against IAS officer Verma as discriminatory and has demanded strict and impartial proceedings. The agitation against Verma will begin on Friday from Vallabh Bhavan (State Secretariat). The protest will be launched at 7 pm with the blowing of a conch shell at the statue of Maharana Pratap. Earlier, Hindu Utsav Samiti and other outfits held a meeting under the banner of Brahmin Samaj Sanyukta Morcha. Morcha convenor Virendra Sharma told the media on Thursday that there is widespread resentment in the Brahmin community over Verma’s remarks. “Even AJJAKS and JAYS are not supporting Verma’s comment, yet the government has not taken action against him. Therefore, we will gherao the CM House on December 14,” Sharma said. The Brahmin Community United Front has appealed to all organisations and community members to extend their support.

The fire initially started in the plywood and other materials used for beautification under the flyover. The fire also spread to the streetlights above and was fueled by the garbage on the road. The fire was extinguished within a short time. There were no casualties, but significant damage was caused. Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A massive fire broke out at Lalghati Chowk in Bhopal after garbage under the flyover caught fire on Friday. Traffic was also disrupted for a considerable time due to the fire. Upon receiving the information, two fire tenders from Bairagarh and one from Fatehgarh fire station reached the scene. The fire initially started in the plywood and other materials used for beautification under the flyover. The fire also spread to the street lights above and was fueled by the garbage on the road. The fire was extinguished within a short time. There were no casualties, but significant damage was caused. A shrine located under the flyover was also threatened by the blaze, but fire personnel managed to contain the flames before they could reach it. The area under the flyover has been beautified using ACP. The use of ACP sheets will ensure that this beautification lasts for ten years. CNC (Computer Numerical Control) painting has also been done here. The theme of the painting at Lalghati Chowk is Raja Bhoj. Previously, the municipal corporation had repainted the underpass multiple times under the Swachh Bharat Mission and during the GIS project, but the paintwork had deteriorated quickly.