Watch: Union minister shares new look of Srinagar's iconic clock tower

The iconic clock tower of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir has been revamped to now reflect the brightness of peace, progress and prosperity in the city, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Sunday. Puri also shared a captivating video of the historic landmark, which has been witness to many political events.

“The clock tower in Srinagar’s historic Lal Chowk has mirrored the times it has witnessed in the eventful journey of Jammu and Kashmir. This redeveloped sentinel now reflects the brightness of peace, progress and prosperity sweeping across under leadership of PM Narendra Modi,” Puri tweeted.

The video showed the famous clock tower located at Srinagar's Lal Chowk beaming with beauty under its new, redeveloped look. The tower's facelift came as part of the Srinagar Smart City Project.

Lal Chowk marks the main attraction of the area. The tower was originally built by the Bajaj Group in 1978.

'Renovation in full swing'

Named after the iconic Red Square in Russia's Moscow, Lal Chowk's revamp is expected to add to the public's hangout spots. "For the past seven to eight months, renovation has been going on. Although we are suffering tremendously, we hope to see better days … European design is being used in the construction of the Clock Tower. We have been told that we will see Paris in Srinagar now," Suhail Shah, vice president of the Lal Chowk traders association, said.

The city administration is targeting mid-August to complete all the maintenance work at the site. Athar Amir Khan, the Commissioner of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation said that other than the clock tower, there are plans to give a facelift to the entire Residency Road, Jehangir Chowk, Karan Nagar, and Batamaloo areas as part of the central business upgrade.

"We hope to complete the entire project in the next 40 to 45 days," Khan said.

(With PTI inputs)