Secunderabad Clock Tower
Encyclopedia
Secunderabad Clock Tower is a clock tower
located in the Secunderabad
region of Hyderabad, India
. Constructed in 1860 on 10 acres (4 ha) of land, the structure was inaugurated on 1 February 1897.
after his name in 1806. To honour the progress achieved by the British officers
stationed at Secunderabad Cantonment
in Hyderabad, the erstwhile British government
established 10 acres (4 ha) of land for this purpose in 1860. A 120-ft high clock tower was constructed in a park of 2.5 acres (1 ha) in 1896. 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.
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. In 2006, the park housing the tower was chosen for renovation by the same agency. Carried out at a cost of , 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. A martyr's memorial was also established inside the park in memory of the first police firing in 1969 during a separate Telangana agitation. Within a year after this, two of the tower's four clocks experienced technical problems and stopped working.
The tower was declared a heritage structure
in the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad
. 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.
In 2006, the 200-year celebrations of the formation of Secunderabad
were organized by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The clock tower was chosen as the subject of the logo, which was designed by a local firm. The outline of the Clock Tower was first conceived by the students of a city architectural college. 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.
The park housing the tower also served as a venue for promoting various citizen-centric events such as a children's film festival
, awareness programs among others.
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
located in the Secunderabad
Secunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
region of Hyderabad, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Constructed in 1860 on 10 acres (4 ha) of land, the structure was inaugurated on 1 February 1897.
History
A firman issued by Nizam Sikandar Jah established the city of SecunderabadSecunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
after his name in 1806. To honour the progress achieved by the British officers
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
stationed at Secunderabad Cantonment
Secunderabad Cantonment Board
Secunderbad Cantonment Board is the civic administration agency for the city of Secunderabad, India.Large parts of Secunderabad city and some parts of the Hyderabad city come under the jurisdiction of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board due to the large military presence, existing right from the...
in Hyderabad, the erstwhile British government
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
established 10 acres (4 ha) of land for this purpose in 1860. A 120-ft high clock tower was constructed in a park of 2.5 acres (1 ha) in 1896. 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.
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
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh is the government for the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India.It is an elected government with 294 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Executive:...
said that they were trying their best not to demolish this structure. In 2006, the park housing the tower was chosen for renovation by the same agency. Carried out at a cost of , 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
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy , popularly known as YSR, was a two-time Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He is seen as the most popular chief minister of Andhra pradesh. His popularity is often attributed to various welfare schemes and development programs he championed for the...
in 2006. A martyr's memorial was also established inside the park in memory of the first police firing in 1969 during a separate Telangana agitation. Within a year after this, two of the tower's four clocks experienced technical problems and stopped working.
The tower was declared a heritage structure
Heritage structures in Hyderabad
Heritage Conservation Committee under HUDA was formed by state government in 1981 to retain architectural, historical and social value of buildings. Hyderabad Urban Development Authority has listed almost 160 buildings in Hyderabad city as heritage structures. Almost 70% of heritage buildings are...
in the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad
Secunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
. 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.
In 2006, the 200-year celebrations of the formation of Secunderabad
Secunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
were organized by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The clock tower was chosen as the subject of the logo, which was designed by a local firm. The outline of the Clock Tower was first conceived by the students of a city architectural college. A short cinema film of 9 minutes, 30 seconds by director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Mani Shankar
Mani Shankar
Mani Shankar is a Bollywood director, best known for his direction of Hindi films such as 16 December, Rudraksh, and, Tango Charlie Mukhbir and Knockout....
was released as a part of this celebration. The film, which relates the history of the city, features the clock tower in it.
The park housing the tower also served as a venue for promoting various citizen-centric events such as a children's film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
, awareness programs among others.