Announcements that played in the Bhopal Metro during the October 2023 trial run, in which then-Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took part ahead of the Assembly elections, have gone silent.
Two years since, Bhopal's long-cherished dream of its own metro remains unrealised, as the city's flagship urban transport project continues to reel under delays, design errors, and spiraling costs.
Even before its official inauguration, defects have begun surfacing in the metro's civil work. The piers at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Metro Station were constructed so low that heavy vehicles risk colliding with them. Engineers are now digging three feet deep beneath the pillars to create adequate clearance, a sign that serious design lapses were overlooked.
Another construction lapse came to light in 2023, when the height of the piers near Pragati Pump was found too low for heavy vehicles to pass. After NDTV's report, authorities fixed the issue.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) approval, essential for launching operations, remains pending. In the years of waiting, the project's cost has doubled.
Announced in 2009, the Bhopal Metro project has faced delay after delay. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) was finalised only in 2016, and the first work order was issued in 2018.
Just before the 2018 Assembly elections, both the Bhopal and Indore metro projects received the Centre's approval, and officials then promised the metro would run by 2022.
The metro's first corridor from AIIMS to Karond covers 16.05 km, but only the 6.22 km priority corridor between AIIMS and Subhash Nagar is nearing completion.
Officials admit that over 30 per cent of civil work remains incomplete at several locations, even as inspection by the CMRS team continues.
A visit across the project's stretch paints a picture of neglect.
- Rani Kamlapati Station: Ramp unfinished, open drain near Gate No. 1.
- AIIMS Station: Only structural frame complete; opposite entry-exit work pending.
- Alkapuri Gate: Lifts and escalators installed, but approach road incomplete.
- DRM Office Station: 30 per cent work still pending; lifts non-operational.
- MP Nagar Station: Ramp under construction; a deep pit lies open beside the path.
Almost no station currently has proper ramps or facilities for the differently abled.
Urban experts argue that the root of the problem lies in poor planning. "Problems should have been identified when the DPR was prepared. If the planning itself is flawed, implementation will inevitably suffer. Mistakes at the start are showing up in construction now," said Suyash Kulshrestha, a town planner.
Even as work stalls, political blame games are on track. The Congress claims credit for initiating the metro during then chief minister Kamal Nath's tenure, while the BJP points to Babulal Gaur's government for laying its foundation. "The Rs 7,000 crore metro project was brought by Kamal Nath. BJP's negligence and contractor corruption have delayed it. Thousands of crores sanctioned by our government are being wasted," said Jayvardhan Singh, former Congress minister.
BJP leader and Bhopal Municipal Corporation Chairman Kishan Suryavanshi responded, "The Congress only knows how to lay foundation stones. The metro project began under Babulal Gaur. The BJP has focused on development soon, the metro will run, and expansion plans are already under review."
When conceptualised in 2017-18, the 27.9 km corridor was estimated to cost Rs 6,941 crore. The figure has now jumped to Rs 10,033 crore, and according to officials, a new completion date may soon be announced.
When fully operational, the Bhopal Metro will span 30.95 km, comprising two lines and 30 stations 16 on the Orange Line and 14 on the Blue Line.
