Secunderabad Clock Tower

Secunderabad Clock Tower
సికింద్రాబాద్ క్లోక్ టవర్
Clock Tower
Coordinates 17°26′27″N 78°29′55″E / 17.440846°N 78.498532°E / 17.440846; 78.498532
Location Secunderabad, Telangana
Designer the nizam
Type victory column
Height 120 feet (37 m)[1]
Opening date 1 February 1897
Dedicated to British officers posted at the erstwhile Secunderabad Cantonment

Secunderabad Clock Tower is a clock tower located in the Secunderabad region of Hyderabad, India. Constructed in 1860 on 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land, the structure was inaugurated on 1 February 1897.

History

A firman issued by Nizam Sikandar Jah established the city of Secunderabad after his name in 1806.[2] To honour the progress achieved by the British officers stationed at Secunderabad Cantonment in Hyderabad, the erstwhile British government established 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land for this purpose in 1860.[3] A 120-ft high clock tower was constructed in a park of 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) in 1896.[1] The tower was inaugurated by Resident Sir Trevor John Chichele Plowden on 1 February 1897. The clock on the tower was donated by Dewan Bahadur Seth Lachmi Narayan Ramgopal, a businessman.[2]

In 2003, the tower was placed on a demolition list drawn up by the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad to accommodate the increasing traffic. A senior official at this civic agency of the Government of Andhra Pradesh said that they were trying their best not to demolish this structure.[4] In 2006, the park housing the tower was chosen for renovation by the same agency. Carried out at a cost of ₹10 million (US$150,000), the park's size was reduced to widen the roads. In addition, the tower was renovated, the park was landscaped with lawns and hedges, and a waterfall was installed. The renovation was completed in 2005, and the park was inaugurated by then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in 2006.[1][5] A martyr's memorial was also established inside the park in memory of the first police firing in 1969 during a separate Telangana agitation.[6] Within a year after this, two of the tower's four clocks experienced technical problems and stopped working.[3]

The tower was declared a heritage structure in the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad.[3] It was as a result of the efforts put by the civic agency at sites like this tower that the proposal to seek UNESCO Heritage status for Hyderabad was revived.[7]

In 2006, the 200-year celebrations of the formation of Secunderabad were organised by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The clock tower was chosen as the subject of the logo, which was designed by a local firm.[8] The outline of the Clock Tower was first conceived by the students of a city architectural college.[9] A short cinema film of 9 minutes, 30 seconds by director Mani Shankar was released as a part of this celebration. The film, which relates the history of the city, features the clock tower in it.[10]

The park housing the tower also served as a venue for promoting various citizen-centric events such as a children's film festival,[11] awareness programs among others.[12]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Secunderabad Clock Tower.
  1. 1 2 3 "Clock Tower Park to open, finally". The Hindu. 27 February 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  2. 1 2 Nanisetti, Serish (3 June 2006). "The man, his mite and Secunderabad". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Time stands still at Clock Tower". The Hindu. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  4. ↑ "Secunderabad clock tower on MCH demolition list". The Times of India. 7 February 2003. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "Renovated Clock Tower Park to be opened today". The Times of India. 26 February 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  6. ↑ "Floral tributes to Telangana martyrs". The Hindu. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  7. ↑ Khan, Mir Ayoob Ali (16 March 2007). "Heritage hope alive". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  8. ↑ "Towering logo for 'splendid' city". The Hindu. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  9. ↑ Vijay Kumar, Renuka (6 September 2006). "Students lead the way". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  10. ↑ K., Sangeetha Devi (6 June 2006). "A cinematic ode to Secunderabad". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  11. ↑ Yousuf, Mohammed (11 November 2009). "Children’s film festival". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  12. ↑ "Campaign held to spread awareness about sanitation". The Hindu. 26 November 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
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