Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has sanctioned Rs. 34 lakh for the restoration of the Silver Jubilee Clock Tower located opposite the Town Hall in the heart of the city. The works will be taken up by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage soon.

In-charge Mayor Sunanda Palanetra said that the clock tower required immediate attention, but the heritage experts, who had inspected the 95-year-old structure, had barred the MCC from taking up repair works. “The restoration work should be carried out under the guidance of heritage experts from the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage,” she added.

Sunanda Palanetra said that she also wanted to take up the development of the surroundings of the Silver Jubilee Clock Tower, which has been named as Mahaveer Circle but still called as Clock Tower Circle.

Stating that she wanted to take up development of the Circle at a cost of Rs. 1 crore as it was right in front of Mysore Palace and wanted to complete it before Dasara festivities, she regretted that it cannot be taken up.

MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, told Star of Mysore said that the MCC has given administrative approval for the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage to take up the restoration works.

Technical staff of the Department will take up the works soon and the MCC will release the amount stage by stage, the MCC Chief added.

It may be recalled that the Silver Jubilee Clock Tower also known as Dodda Gadiyara was installed by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1927 after completing 25 years of his rule.

In 2020, members of the District Heritage Expert Committee had visited the heritage structure and collected samples of masonry material, lime mortar and a few iron pieces that had been rusted and sent to the Regional Conservation Laboratory (RCL), branch of National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property for tests.