After more than a decade of decay, the 124-year-old iconic clock tower nestled in Secunderabad was brought back to life and enabled with GPS. The Clock Tower has been modelled on the Big Ben in London, and every hour, the clock chimes and lights up automatically from 6 pm to 6 am, authorities said. Rs 28 lakh was spent towards this, according to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
“The GPS ensures that the clock doesn’t require any manual intervention,” said, GHMC Secunderabad zonal commissioner Srinivas Reddy.
The Secunderabad Clock Tower, which is one among the twelve clock towers in the city, was neglected for many years. This particular clock tower, under the Cantonment, constructed at a height of 120 feet was built by the Britishers in 1896. It was inaugurated by Sir Trevor John Chichele-Plowden, who served as a member of the Indian Civil Service.
The clock, however, was donated by Maharashtra-based businessman Dewan Bahadur Seth Lachmi Narayan Ramgopal.
“We spent Rs 10 lakh to repair the clock and the additional Rs 18 lakh is spent to beautify the premises by building pavements,” the zonal commissioner said. GHMC had taken up the task to renovate the clock tower three months ago as part of the conservation of Hyderabad’s heritage. “The works were supposed to finish much earlier, but owing to COVID-19 situation, they got delayed,” he explained.
The clock was repaired by Hyderabad-based Ramesh Watch Company, who had earlier fixed the clock in the Moazzam Jahi Market in Old City. The famous market was also renovated by the Telangana government at an expenditure of Rs 15 crore in August this year.
Currently, the Secunderabad Clock Tower circle is barely accessible to pedestrians. Earlier, there would be large gatherings surrounding the clock. “It was a busy place bustling with markets and crowds. There was a requirement for such a big clock for the common public to keep up with time,” the zonal commissioner added.
He further said that the GHMC will be renovating the clock at Ramgopalpet police station in another three weeks.