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History's witness Ludhiana clock
tower crumbling
WSN Network
 LUDHIANA: The
famous Ghanta Ghar here turned 102 last year. It was on October 18,
1906, that Victoria Memorial Clock Tower,
Ludhiana,
was inaugurated by the then Lt Governor of
Punjab, Sir
Montgomery.
This emblem of
Ludhiana
is today being used as a public urinal and its walls, which are
witnessing a few cracks, are being used for pasting pamphlets, the
local Ludhiana Newsline reported.
The area around
the monument is dotted by encroachments, which the Municipal
Corporation has not been able to remove. Subash Singhal, chairman of
the Clock Tower Welfare Association, said, "The number of
encroachers has increased and the tower has become a haven for
beggars. It’s not only the Municipal Corporation, even the residents
have no respect for the heritage building.”
Vinod Sharda,
assistant municipal commissioner, says, "We had installed focus
lights about one-and-a-half year ago, and whitewashed the tower. I
don't think there is anything more that needs to be done. The
building is quite strong .”
The civic body
had installed a few fountains to beautify the area, but these were
never operational, and later their parts were stolen. Besides, Rs 6
lakh was spent to install 16 focus lights, of which four do not
work. MC authorities say, “We will get them repaired soon.”
Mohinder
Aggarwal, general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal who
has a showroom nearby, says, "I am pained to see the century-old
monument in utter neglect. We all are equally responsible for it."
The clock often
stops and it takes a few days to restart it. The tower was erected
in the heart of the city, with Chaura Bazaar, courts and tehsil
office in the vicinity, but today it is more popular for staging
demonstrations. Old-timers recall that earlier the tower could be
seen from a distance, but today high-rise buildings and pollution
have enveloped it.
7 January 2009
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