Clock tower with digital chime to come up near Talkatora Stadium in Delhi
The officials said that the clocktower project will fall under the larger undertaking to restore the “heritage” look of Lutyens Delhi
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) plans to develop a new clock tower near Talkatora stadium, as part of the civic body’s plans to beautify the roundabout that faces the stadium, officials aware of the matter said.
The officials said that the clocktower project will fall under the larger undertaking to restore the “heritage” look of Lutyens Delhi.
Delhi currently has several functional clock towers, but most are located in areas under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The plan for a clock tower in Lutyens Delhi began in April this year, after lieutenant governor VK Saxena conducted an inspection of public spaces in NDMC areas. HT on April 14 had reported that NDMC had begun looking for a suitable location in Lutyens Delhi to construct the clock tower.
“We were proposing to set up the clocktower near Connaught Place or at Gole Market, but the space near Talkatora stadium is a more suitable site. The tower is expected to be around 40 ft high and will have four clocks — one in each direction. Unlike old clocktowers, this one will have a digital sound system so that updates can be provided with the sound of a bell every hour,” a senior NDMC official said.
“The Talkatora roundabout site is mostly clear... Just a high mast light installation needs to be removed, which can be installed on top of the clocktower. This area receives traffic from the Karol Bagh-Rajinder Nagar belt on one side and Lutyens Delhi on the other side,” the official added.
Earlier, the Town Hall near Jantar Mantar used to house a clock tower atop the old NDMC headquarters, which was demolished in 1992 to make way for the new complex that houses Palika Kendra.
“The New Delhi Town Hall was built in 1933 and inaugurated by the then viceroy Lord Willingdon. Subsequently, four giant bells were imported from Britain and installed in the clocktower, with timekeepers deployed to ring the bells every hour since wristwatches were not that common. In the 1960s, these bells were replaced with modern clocks. The existing complex was constructed after demolishing the clock tower,” the official quoted above said.
NDMC did not respond to requests for comment.
Separately, the civic body said it has completed the revamp of the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital roundabout. The official quoted above said that red sandstone octagonal walkways have been developed and five white marble elephants have been installed in the middle of an elevated platform, while the black granite enclosure at the centre is surrounded by installations of water geysers and LED lights.
In the next phase, fountains will be installed on the roundabout near the newly built Parliament. “The site is currently not available due to existing structures,” the official said.