Mysuru: The Royal City of Mysuru has a new landmark- a 70 ft clock tower it is, which has a hourly chime just like the Big Ben in London.
However, this imposing structure in Manasagangotri campus has stood up at the cost of a century old banyan tree, which remained to be a mute spectator to the development of the Royal city.
The environmentalists allege that the Varsity authorities have chopped off the majestic branches of the tree estimated to be about a century old, without prior permission from the Forest Department.
While the construction of the tower was delayed for several months, finally the clock tower became functional two days ago after specially-made clocks by the State-owned HMT were installed on four sides of the tower that stands in front of the canteen in the Varsity campus.
Each clock has a diameter of five feet with English, Kannada and Roman digits on three sides.
The clock on side of the tower does not have any digits, but just lines.
The tower constructed at a total cost of Rs. 60 lakh runs on solar as well as electricity supply and as per sources, the clock alone costs Rs 9.5 lac.
The highlight of the tower is the hourly chime that can be heard even two kilometres away from the Tower. But, as per sources the chimes would be silences during 11 pm to 5 am for the convenience of the students residing in hostels in the University.
It is incidentally the third clock tower in Mysuru. A 75-feet Silver Jubilee clock tower was erected in front of Mysuru Palace in 1927 to mark 25 years of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s rule, and the Dufferin Clock tower, built in 1886 in front of Devaraja market to commemorate the ceremonial visit of the then British Viceroy of India to Mysore is the second.
