Description

Bhopal (/boʊˈpɑːl/; Hindustanipronunciation:[bʱoːpaːl]) is the capital of the Indian state ofMadhya Pradeshand the administrative headquarters of Bhopaldistrict and Bhopaldivision. The city was the capital of the formerBhopal State.Bhopal is known as the City of Lakes[3] for itsvarious natural aswell as artificial lakes and is also one of thegreenest cities inIndia.[4] It is the 17th largest city in thecountry and 131st[5]in the world.

A Y-class city,[6] Bhopal houses various institutionsandinstallations of national importance, including ISRO'sMasterControl Facility[7] and BHEL. Bhopal is home to the largestnumberof Institutes of National Importance in India, namely IISER,MANIT,SPA, and AIIMS.

The city attracted international attention in December 1984afterthe Bhopal disaster, when a Union Carbide India Limited(UCIL)pesticide manufacturing plant (now owned by Dow ChemicalCompany)leaked a mixture of deadly gases composed mainly ofmethylisocyanate, leading to one of the worst industrial disastersin theworld's history. The Bhopal disaster continues to be a partof thesocio-political debate and a logistical challenge for thepeople ofBhopal.[8]

Bhopal has been selected as one of the first twenty Indian citiestobe developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagshipSmartCities Mission [9]and will be the first smart city of Indiaincoming years.[10] The city has been adjudged as the 21stcleanestcity in India.