SRINAGAR: The bustling commercial heart of Lal Chowk now boasts a revamped clock tower, adorned with significant clocks on each side of its pinnacle. These advanced timepieces, purpose-built for ‘Ghanta Ghar,’ resound with hourly strikes, serving as a temporal guide amidst the bustling lives of the city.
The resounding chimes of these clocks resonated across the entirety of Lal Chowk during the inauguration of the newly designed clock tower by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday evening.
These state-of-the-art clocks boast display units on all four sides and are governed by a central processing unit, offering uniform time displays; a departure from past variations.
With each hourly strike, the reverberations echo throughout Lal Chowk, ensuring that the local populace remains vigilant about the passage of time, said Iftikhar Kakroo, Chief Engineer of Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL).
Kakroo affirmed, “The clock is meticulously tailored for Ghanta Ghar, not a store-bought item. Its bespoke design features local emblems like Chinar leaves, Roman numerals, and other intricate details.”
Highlighting the clocks’ technological sophistication, Kakroo elaborated, “These advanced timepieces were sourced externally and assembled within India. Manufactured by Medieval India—a specialised clock tower company—these clocks are fully automated.”
“The clock operates on an autonomous system, able to function for 7 hours uninterrupted during power outages, thanks to its Inbuilt Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). In case of any disruption, the clock seamlessly resets itself,” Kakroo added.
Meanwhile, the local community, including traders, enthusiastically welcomed the revitalization of the historic Ghanta Ghar.
Irfan Ahmad, a trader, said, “The redesigned clock transports us to a historical era, reminiscent of the past when clocks used to toll every hour. Amidst the digital age, it’s a journey back in time.”
Beyond its utilitarian significance, the clock tower’s rejuvenated aesthetics serve as an appealing and charming draw, likely to attract visitors to this iconic spot. (KNO)