Hero Image

Bhadra Tower clock's heart chimes again

AHMEDABAD: The grand tower clock at Bhadra chimed four times on Saturday to signify 4pm, much to the relief of the restorers and staff of Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI ). The clock, which was non-functional for past two months, came alive again as Percy Daruwala, a Navsari-based expert clock restorer, along with his team repaired the mechanism.




TOI had reported on July 24 that the clock, one of the oldest functional tower clocks in Gujarat , had stopped due to lack of maintenance. ASI had not issued annual maintenance contract for the clock that requires per
iodic checks and tweaks to keep it functional to respond to manual winding up.

Percy Daruwala (R) a Navsari clock restorer, fixed the problem

ASI officials said that Daruwala visited Ahmedabad on Saturday and checked the mechanism. “The coordination between two faces of the clock - 7 feet dial facing Bhadra Plaza and 4 feet dial facing Lal Darwaza - was missing. Earlier, both the faces showed different times which has been corrected now. A few parts also needed tweaking. We conducted the trial run which was successful. We hope that the clock would function properly for the time being,” said Daruwala.

Sources at ASI said that the annual maintenance could soon be decided as the top officials took the issue seriously and instructed the staff to ensure that the clock functions properly given the fact that Bhadra Fort is a historic landmark for UNESCO World Heritage City and the clock installed in 1849 also turns 170 years old this year.

The experts have already represented issue of rickety wooden stairs in the clock tower that makes the act of winding the clock precarious.

READ ON APP