Mysuru: Mysuru city’s 140-year-old clock at the Dufferin Clock Tower, popularly known as ‘Chikka Gadiyara,’ has started ticking again, thanks to the initiative by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC).

The landmark clock, located in front of Devaraja Market, was repaired by vintage clock expert Sheikh Mehmood of Shaik’s Vintage Times, Bengaluru. He has been working on the clock for the past week.

MCC Commissioner M.K. Savitha told Star of Mysore this morning that the repair work was carried out using available components.

“Technicians have completed the restoration, bringing the traditional mechanical system back into operation. As the historic clock mechanism is manually operated, it has to be wound with a key once every five days. To ensure its uninterrupted functioning, we have requested Sheikh Mehmood to train a local person to handle the periodic winding,” she said.

The MCC has also sought a detailed estimate of the clock’s annual maintenance expenses. “Once we receive the estimate, we will prepare a formal letter outlining the requirements. We are also planning to meet Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy and submit a request for dedicated financial assistance and CSR support through Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT),” she said.

The Commissioner added that the Union Minister was already aware of the heritage clock’s repair efforts, as Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar had spoken to him and sought his support.