Allahabad University to begin efforts to make its 112-yr-old clock tick again

Efforts would soon begin to get the iconic tower-clock located atop the senate hall building on Allahabad University’s arts campus ticking again. The clock, which resembles the Big Ben of London, has been dead for years now despite efforts from time to time to repair it and get it permanently functional.

Now, the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA)—a joint venture company of Canara Bank and Union ministry of education—has made available a ₹15 crore grant to the central varsity for not just the repair of the tower-clock but also the renovation of the historical senate hall. AU vice-chancellor Prof Sangita Srivastava had shared the good news regarding the funding in her Republic Day message recently.

The clock, manufactured by JG Bechtler Son & Company, Allahabad, was installed atop the senate hall building in 1912. When it stopped working in 1999, an expert from the local Katra market, Mustafa Bhai, repaired it. But, after a few years, the clock again stopped working.

In 2012, Prof CK Dwivedi and his team from AU’s JK Institute of Applied Physics had successfully replaced the mechanical parts of the clock, converting it into a single-chip computer including a micro-processor, input-output interface, timing circuit etc.

The main machinery was fitted with new gears and micro-motors which were systematically upgraded so that the time piece would give accurate time. Quartz crystal, widely used in time pieces for giving accurate frequency in clocks, was also fitted in the repaired clock.

Later, the varsity authorities also gave it a facelift by covering its four sides with polycarbonate sheets, replacing the old glass sheets and there were further plans to add LED lights to all the four sides apart from cleaning of the huge bells and to revive the system of hourly, half-hourly and quarterly ringing of bells as it used to be in its prime form. However, despite all the efforts, the clock failed to function.

Earlier, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) based in Delhi too had undertaken a survey and submitted a report to the varsity administration in February 2008 regarding restoration of AU’s four heritage buildings including Vijyayanagram Hall, Senate Hall, Darbhanga Hall and English department building and much later the Vijyayanagram Hall was fully restored and inaugurated in March 2021 too under the regime of Prof Sangita Srivastava as the vice-chancellor. However, nothing else happened till now.

AU PRO Prof Jaya Kapoor said as part of the initiative, the tower-clock and the tower both would be renovated along with the senate hall roof, the glass panes of its windows and the tiles of the stage. The building too would be strengthened. However, this would all be done keeping the basic structure of the building intact, she added. University officials said the hunt for an expert repairman of clock towers was now on.