Sunday, December 28, 2025

Even before launch, Bhopal RoB becomes meme material on social media

By
Priyanka Tanwer
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Built at the cost of Rs 18 crore, a Railway Over Bridge (RoB) near Aishbagh Stadium in Madhya Pradesh’s Capital city Bhopal has raised many eyebrows and became a meme material on social media raising safety concerns.

This RoB, which is nearing its completion after months of delays over many issues, is built to connect Mahamai Ka Bagh, Pushpa Nagar, and the station area to New Bhopal, providing smooth and hassle free movement to the people.

However, even before its launch, the bridge has become the talk of the town with the local population concerned over the safety of the motorists as the bridge has a 90 degree turn which could prove to be fatal for commuters.

This peculiar 90 degree angle of the bridge has also invited criticism from the Opposition party Congress which has termed it a ‘right angle Railway Over Bridge’.

Taking a jibe at union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Kerala Congress said, “Elite degign team under the leadership of Ashwini Vaishnaw has built an engineering marvel in Bhopal. A right angle Railway Over Bridge.”

“While ordinary engineers would have gone straight across the hypotenuse (√(3² + 4²) = 5), this team cleverly chose 3 + 4 = 7. Longer route, bigger budget, more chances to siphon off public money. True innovation,” it stated.

Soon after the bridge came into light, Madhya Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Rakesh Singh stated that the technical report will be submitted by the team tomorrow, after which further directions will be given.

“The site inspection has been done by the team of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) regarding the railway overbridge (RoB) built in the Aishbagh area of the capital Bhopal. The technical report will be submitted by the team tomorrow, based on which further decisions and necessary action will be taken,” he said.

According to the reports, the authorities have no other option to build this RoB the other way as there was a lack of land and presence of a metro station nearby.

Meanwhile, social media has come up with fresh memes using the image of RoB. Some of them have related the design to Pythagoras while some are referring to this bridge to a game.

One user said, “Being from Bhopal is hard bro, we literally had to bend the bridge 90 degrees just to go viral.”

Another said, “Forget the Chenab Rail bridge, here is the real engineering masterpiece from Bhopal.”

The bridge has faced delays ever since its construction started in March 2023. Initially set for completion in 18 months, it is now nearing completion after over 36 months delayed by many factors including coordination between the PWD and the Railways. 

BJP slams Yunus government.over attack on Rabindranath Tagore home

By
Tehelka Bureau
-

The BJP on Thursday condemned Bangladesh

Muhammad Yunus-led interim government over reported attack on the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

“They could not protect such a significant international monument,” BJP leader Sambit Patra said, addressing media persons

“Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was no ordinary figure. He was not just a literary icon; he was a man of diversity, who gave a lot to the world, he was a man with personality beyond borders,” Patra added.

The BJP MP also alleged that the “preplanned attack” was carried out by radical groups, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.

A mob reportedly attacked and vandalised Tagore’s ancestral home in Bangladesh’s Sirajganj district, leading authorities to constitute a three-member committee to investigate the incident, as per media reports.

Musk regrets some posts he made about Trump, says ‘went too far’

By
Vibha Sharma
-

The very public feud between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk appears to be headed towards an equally public reconciliation.

Musk on Wednesday regretted some of the posts he had made about Trump on social media. “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” he wrote on ‘X’.

Musk’s post follows Trump’s interview to a newspaper, in which the US President said he was open to the possibility of reconciliation.

Trump said he was a “little disappointed” but there were “no hard feelings.” “I think he (Musk) feels very badly that he said that,” Trump was quoted as saying.

The Trump-Musk fallout and the attacks on each other on social media attacks were talk of the World.

It all started when after leaving the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Musk began lobbying against Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending bill passed by the US House last month, calling it a “disgusting abomination”. Urging Americans to call their representatives in Washington to “kill the bill,” Musk said it would “cause a recession in the second half of the year.”

Musk also posted on ‘X’ a 1992 video showing Trump ‘partying’ with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Musk offered no proof but the post reignited public interest in the files, denting Trump’s image by suggesting his connection with hidden government files related to Epstein’s alleged crimes

The White House rubbished Musk’s claims. Trump said his former aide had “lost his mind” and threatened to cancel his government contracts. “I think it’s a very bad thing, because he is very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President,” Trump said 

Musk, in turn, accused Trump of “ingratitude”.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” he claimed.

Apparently, efforts were being made to make peace between the two warring sides. Musk appeared to have also deleted many of his posts, including one calling for Trump’s impeachment.

World emissions added ‘heat equivalent of 1.7 billion atomic bombs to ocean’ since 2015 Paris Agreement, say scientists

By
Vibha Sharma
-

World emissions added heat “equivalent to 1.7 billion atomic bombs to the ocean,” a stark reminder of what’s at stake, according to a new briefing amid the ongoing UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice centered around conservation and sustainable use of oceans and marine resources.

Scientists say the “world added the energy equivalent of nearly two billion atom bombs such as “Little Boy” to the ocean since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. The ocean heat content in 2025 (to a depth of 2000m) was about 104 zettajoules more than in 2015, equivalent to about 1.7 billion atom bombs (about five bombs per second)”

Collated by research consultancy Climate Trends, the data-backed snapshot of dramatic changes happening beneath the surface —record sea temperatures, shrinking sea ice, and mass coral bleaching—from publicly available data, has been reviewed by scientists. 

“Global warming over the last 10 years equates to about 1.7 billion atomic bomb explosions, or if we divide this by the number of seconds in 10 years, it’s equivalent to about 5 atomic explosions worth of energy every single second,” according to Dr Alex Sen Gupta from University of New South Wales, Sydney

Climate change impacts on the ocean since 2015 include global sea ice hitting an all-time low this year, sea surface temperatures in 2024 smashing previous records, 84% of coral reef areas bleached in the biggest coral bleaching event ever.

Gupta says “an extra 104 zettajoules entering and warming the climate system—that’s 104 thousand, million, million, million Joules of energy” have been measured over the past decade

“Clearly this is having an effect on the ocean –it’s causing sea level to rise, our ice systems to melt, and our atmosphere and oceans to warm. The last of these means increasing numbers of marine heatwaves, with the devastation that they bring. All this energy comes from humans putting more and more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Clearly this needs to stop,” he adds

It has been 10 years since the Paris Agreement. World leaders are currently in France along with NGOs, leaders of island states and scientists to dwell upon ocean action.

Cabinet approves green Rail projects for Jharkhand, Karnataka, Andhra

By
Tehelka Bureau
-

Environment-friendly projects will improve travel convenience, reduce logistic cost, decrease oil imports, support sustainable ops, say officials

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved two environment-friendly projects Railway projects costing Rs 6,405 crore and covering seven districts across Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Apart from increasing the existing network of Indian Railways by about 318 km, the multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to around 1,408 villages with a population of about 28.19 lakh. They will also help in achieving climate goals and minimising logistics cost of the country by reducing oil import (52 crore litres) and lowering CO2 emissions (264 crore kg) which is equivalent to plantation of 11 crore trees, according to an official statement.

The 133-km Koderma–Barkakana doubling passes through a major coal producing area of Jharkhand and will be the shortest and more efficient rail link between Patna and Ranchi. The 185-km Ballari–Chikjajur doubling traverses through Bellary and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. 

The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways, officials said.

“These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion and are in line with the vision of  ‘atmanirbhar’ by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/ self-employment opportunities,” as per the official statement. 

The projects are result of PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity which have been possible through integrated planning and will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services. 

The routes are important for the transportation of commodities like  coal, iron ore, finished steel, cement, fertilisers, agriculture commodities, and petroleum products.

‘Bihar NDA on track, Nitish Kumar CM face’ : BJP sources

By
Vibha Sharma
-

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is on track and its constituents will contest all 243 seats in the alliance. The seat distribution has not been finalised but the chief minister  will be the incumbent CM—JD-U’s Nitish Kumar, sources confirmed. 

State leaders have held several rounds of meetings and some more are in the pipeline before the action shifts to Delhi for finalising the plan. Nitish Kumar will continue to be the face of the bloc, they said, also trashing  speculations around his health and conduct in the public.

This time Nitish Kumar also has the support of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president and Union minister Chirag Paswan who opposed Nitish Kumar vehemently in the last Assembly elections. 

Chirag’s opposition is said to be a key reason for JD-U losing seats in the last Assembly elections. This time, however, he has already voiced support, telling mediapersons recently that “there is no vacancy for the post of CM in Bihar and development work will continue under Nitish Kumar’s leadership.”

In the 2024 Parliament elections, BJP contested 17 of the total 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, JD-U 16, LJP five, and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha one seat each. The seat distribution for Assembly elections is expected to be around the same lines, give or take a couple of seats, according to local reports

In that case, JD-U is expected to contest around 102–103 seats and BJP around 101–102 seats with the remaining distributed among the three smaller allies—LJP, HAM and RLM.

Rahul Gandhi writes to PM over deplorable condition of Ambedkar Hostel in Bihar

By
Tehelka Bureau
-

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting to resolve critical issues hindering education opportunities for the 90 per cent of students who are from marginalized communities.

He said that the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dahl, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable.

The letter comes in the backdrop of Gandhi’s recent visit to Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar where students complained about single rooms which 6-7 students were forced to share, unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, lack of mess facilities, and no access to libraries or the internet.

“Secondly, post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures. For example, in Bihar, the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years – no student received a scholarship in 2021-22. Even thereafter, the number of Dalit students receiving scholarships fell by nearly half, from 1.36 lakh in FY23 to 0.69 lakh in FY24. Students further complain that the scholarship amounts are insultingly low,” he further stated in the letter.

Gandhi urged the government to immediately take two actions on the matter.

He called for an audit in every hostel for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities to ensure good infrastructure, sanitation, food, and academic facilities; and allocate adequate funds to address deficiencies.

“Disburse post-matric scholarships on time, increase scholarship amounts, and improve execution by working closely with state governments,” Gandhi stated in the letter.  

The 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies is slated to take place in October or November 2025. It will be held by the Election Commission of India. 

Only Aadhaar authenticated user can book ‘Tatkal’ tickets on IRCTC

By
Tehelka Bureau
-

No agent bookings in first 30 minutes for AC, non-AC classes

Beginning July 1, Tatkal tickets booked through IRCTC’s official website and mobile app will be available only to users authenticated with Aadhaar, the Railway Ministry announced on Tuesday. Further, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication will become mandatory for Tatkal bookings made online starting July 15, it added

Officials said steps will help ensure that the Tatkal scheme’s benefits reach genuine, common users, adding that the changes will improve transparency and ensure that its benefits reach genuine end users.

“With an aim to ensure fair and transparent access to Tatkal tickets and to safeguard the interests of genuine passengers, Indian Railways has announced key modifications in the Tatkal ticket booking system. These changes are aimed at enhancing user authentication and reducing misuse of the scheme,” according to an official statement

Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and through authorised agents will require OTP authentication sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking.

This provision will also come into effect from July 15

To prevent bulk bookings during the critical opening period, authorised ticketing agents of Indian Railways will not be permitted to book opening-day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window.

For AC classes, this restriction applies from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM, and for non-AC classes, from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM.

CRIS and IRCTC have been instructed to make necessary system modifications and inform all Zonal Railways and concerned departments accordingly, the officials said, urging passengers to take note of the changes and encourage everyone to ensure Aadhaar linkage with their IRCTC user profiles to avoid inconvenience.

Rekha Gupta highlights achievements as BJP completes 11 years in Centre

By
Priyanka Tanwer
-
Photo: Naveen Bansal

As the central government completed 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta highlighted the achievements of the government stating that this is the first government in the history of India that enjoys the trust of every citizen with the belief that ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’.

Addressing a joint press conference with Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, Gupta said that the central government has gifted Delhi road projects worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

“In the first phase, road projects worth Rs 35,000 crore. The second phase is nearing completion with projects worth Rs 64,000 crore, and Rs 24,000 crore worth of projects will be carried out in the third phase. This network of roads is set to become the lifeline of Delhi,” she said.

Speaking on the city’s infrastructure, she said that the entire contribution to the metro comes from the central government, and without the rapidly running metro in Delhi, the city could not function as it does.

“The central government’s colleges and schools in Delhi are a major achievement in the education sector. The previous government had done nothing to advance the future of Delhi’s children, but today, from KG to PG, efforts are continuously underway to provide the best infrastructure and education,” she added.

Criticizing the previous government in Delhi, Gupta said that the Kejriwal government kept making false promises about removing the garbage heaps. “Today, the public has removed them from Delhi. The three garbage heaps, which were 60-65 meters high, have been reduced to 30-40 meters, and by March 2026, the Okhla garbage heap will be completely eliminated. The disposal of the others will also be completed on time,” she said.

She also said that the biggest challenge was cleaning Yamuna river for which the government has allocated Rs 9000 crore in funds. “The results are visible as work is progressing rapidly,” the chief minister added.  

Gupta also informed that approval has been given for laying new sewer lines, new water lines, and making the system decentralized. Soon, a noticeable difference will be seen in the Yamuna’s water quality. “We are reviving 38 old sewage treatment plants (STPs), of which 16 have already been revived,”she said.

NCC team scales Everest, interacts with Raksha Rajya Mantri

By
Tehelka Bureau
-

Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth today interacted with the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mount Everest Expedition team which successfully scaled Mount Everest on May 18.

During the interaction cadets shared experiences, highlighting planning, training and challenges faced during the expedition. Seth lauded their efforts and teamwork for the incredible feat that marked the third successful Everest expedition by the NCC after similar accomplishments in 2013 and 2016.

Comprising 10 cadets—five boys and five girls—and an average age of 19 years, many in the team were novice climbers. They were supported by a contingent of officers, junior commissioned officers, instructors and non-commissioned officers, making it a well-coordinated and professionally managed mission, according to an official statement.  

The expedition was flagged-off by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh on April 3.

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