Clock Tower, Srinagar

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Clock Tower
General information
TypeClock tower
LocationLal Chowk, Srinagar
CountryIndia
Coordinates34°04′16″N 74°48′38″E / 34.071238°N 74.81063°E / 34.071238; 74.81063Coordinates: 34°04′16″N 74°48′38″E / 34.071238°N 74.81063°E / 34.071238; 74.81063
Inaugurated1980
Design and construction
Structural engineerBajaj Electricals
Lal Chowk Clock Tower Illuminated in Tricolour by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation in August 2021.
Lal Chowk Clock Tower Illuminated in Tricolour by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation in August 2021.

The Clock Tower (lit. 'Ghanta Ghar') is a structure located in Lal Chowk, Srinagar. It was constructed by Bajaj Electricals in 1980.[1][2] In 1990 separatists had dared anyone to try and raise the flag of India at Lal Chowk. The National Security Guards took up the challenge and raised the flag.[3] The clock tower gained political significance in 1992, when the then Bharatiya Janata Party president, Murli Manohar Joshi, hoisted the Indian flag on top of the tower on Republic Day.[4][5] Joshi hoisted the flag in the company of Indian troops. Since then, the Indian Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force undertook the hoisting ceremony until 2009, when they announced that continuing the ritual was unnecessary because the tower "had no political significance".[6] Following this, official ceremonies were held at the nearby Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar on Republic Day and Independence Day. In August 2021, ahead of India's 75th Independence Day celebration, the clock tower was illuminated in Tricolour and new clocks were installed by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

References[edit]

  1. Ganai, Naseer (January 17, 201). "A 'minor' symbol of nationalism in Srinagar". India Today. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  2. ANI (7 August 2021). "Clock Tower at Srinagar's Lal Chowk illuminated in tricolour". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-08-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  3. Nandal, Randeep Singh (26 January 2011). "All eyes on other R-Day march to Lal Chowk". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  4. For 5 years, he unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk
  5. LAL CHOWK TO LALAN COLLEGE, MODI MOCKS NEW DELHI
  6. Fazili, Ehsan (25 January 2016). "When BJP chief Joshi unfurled national flag at Lal Chowk". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2021-08-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)