Lokmat News Network
Aurangabad, Feb 28:
Here is good news as the 'ticking' and siren of the iconic heritage structure - Shahgunj Clock Tower - is likely to reverberate in the old city as the Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL) has roped in the services of a Hyderabad-based watch company to restore the functioning of the clock by March-end.
Meanwhile, the ASCDCL is striving to get the work done at the earliest as the holy month of Ramzan is commencing from the first week of April. The Muslim devotees in large number start or break their day's fast listening to the siren, apart from raising alarm by the watch at every hour, during the whole month. The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is the custodian of the heritage tower.
The ASCDCL assistant project manager (heritage) Sneha Bakshi said, " We have roped in the service of an old watch company from Hyderabad (Telangana). It is an expert company in repairing the old and traditional tower clocks. The older
mechanical clock (running on a pneumatic system) require high maintenance and above all the strength of competent watchmakers to maintain it is becoming rare. Hence the clock will now function on the electrical system. The estimated
cost of the project is around Rs 3.5 lakh. We have plans to display the old functioning system of the clock for the tourists at the site as well."
Bakshi added that the conservation and restoration of the clock tower got completed in February 2021, by spending Rs 29 lakh, through the Smart City fund. We were not getting the repairers to restore its functioning. The search was on for the
last one year. Now, we are relieved as the responsibility has been given a fortnight ago. The team will visit and repair it soon. It would take more than a month, but we will pursue to restore the functioning of the clock by March-end. The
work is underway under the guidance of ASDCL's additional chief executive officer Arun Shinde, she said.