Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board received the Best State Tourism Board Award at the India Travel Awards 2025, held earlier this week in New Delhi. The Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, presented the award at a ceremony hosted at Le Meridien. The recognition placed emphasis on Madhya Pradesh?s progress in innovation, excellence, and sustainable growth within India?s tourism industry.

Minister of State for Tourism, Culture, and Religious Trusts and Endowments, Dharmendra Singh Lodhi, remarked that the honour stood as a source of pride for the people and cultural heritage of Madhya Pradesh. He added that under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Mohan Yadav, the government had resolved to make tourism a driver of development. Lodhi stated that the state was committed to gaining global recognition for its heritage, natural wealth, and folk traditions, while the award provided renewed motivation to establish tourism as both an identity of the state and a medium for employment and self-reliance.

Additional Chief Secretary for Tourism, Culture, Home, Religious Trusts and Endowments, and Managing Director of MPTB, Sheo Shekhar Shukla, observed that the award reflected the team?s collective effort and vision. He expressed that the goal was not only to create new destinations but also to strengthen local economies, empower women, preserve culture and traditions, protect natural heritage, and promote sustainable tourism. Shukla noted that this recognition would inspire further efforts to make Madhya Pradesh ? known as the Heart of Incredible India ? a unique destination where tradition, nature, and modernity come together.

The award reaffirmed MPTB?s commitment to showcasing the state?s cultural and natural richness to a wider global audience. The board has consistently advanced eco-tourism circuits, encouraged community-based homestays, expanded adventure and experiential tourism, and invested in hospitality infrastructure to provide visitors with a world-class experience.

By combining cultural preservation with sustainable development, the state has positioned itself as an evolving global destination. With ongoing initiatives in eco-tourism, heritage promotion, and local empowerment, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board continues to build momentum towards its vision of offering a holistic travel experience that blends tradition, nature, and modernity.

Pune: The civic body has finished around 50% of construction work on the new Sadhu Vaswani bridge in the Koregaon Park area, prolonging the wait for the project’s completion to at least another six months. At present, it is unlikely that the bridge will be ready for commuters before March 2026. Regular travellers to locations like Koregaon Park, Wadia College Chowk, Bundgarden, and around Council Hall have been facing daily hardships owing to traffic diversions introduced to assist the bridge work since 2024. Commuters said the detours increase travel time significantly, and the project should be finished at the earliest. Local commuter Ashish Gaikwad said a deadline is important to wrap up the work in progress. “People are already suffering a lot because of traffic restrictions. We want the administration to conduct repeated inspections of the work to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays,” he suggested While Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) initiated work on the new bridge last year, a large duration of time went in demolishing the old Sadhu Vaswani bridge. Civic officials claimed that the work is progressing at the expected pace now, and the target has been set to finish it either by March 2026 or a few days before that. Once ready, the bridge will expedite commuting in the area. Its four dedicated lanes for vehicles will double the capacity of the old bridge, which had two narrow lanes. The bridge will connect Koregaon Park to the VVIP Circuit House Road. At present, commuters go via the Mangaldas Road-Wadia College-Bundgarden Road stretch between these areas. A PMC official said, “The project is delicate and challenging as the bridge is coming up above rail tracks. Works are being carried out without disturbing rail operations. We are working in coordination with the railway administration.” Demolition of the old bridge above the railway tracks had also been conducted as a joint operation between civic and railway authorities. Now, PMC has once again approached Railways, seeking a go-ahead to lay a water pipeline crossing the rail tracks from below. Officials said this water supply line was laid above the tracks along the old bridge. It will not be possible with the new infrastructure, so a plan has been formulated to align it below the tracks. Tunnel work for the pipeline has already started.