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| Shahgunj clock tower, Aurangabad .lokmat.com |
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| Shahgunj clock tower, Aurangabad maharashtratimes.com/ |
Situated in Shahgunj, Aurangabad, Maharashtra more than a century old clock tower built by the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahboob Ali Khan to celebrate his silver jubilee, was all set for major restoration and conservation work soon. The official announcement was made in November 2020. 
Mahboob Ali Khan Asaf Jah6th Nizam /en.wikipedia.org
Above image: Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911), the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad, ruled the Princely State of Hyderabad, India between 1869 and 1911. First Nizam to have western education, he took the reins at a very young age with guidance from regent Salar Jung. He was instrumental in introducing the railways in 1879 fully owned by the Nizams called Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway.. He founded a medical college, first in India and commissioned for chloroform, first time in the world. He was a kind man with charitable disposition. During 1908 ravaging floods, he allowed his subjects to stay in his palace till the foods receded..............................
This project is part of Smart City Development program mooted by the Central government and the local people and heritage lovers were quite happy that that not only would the heritage structure be saved but also it would get back the lost glory. The plus point for the city is it will improve the tourism industry as more people will visit the place once the other historical places are repaired and conserved for the posterity. .
Since the clock tower remained neglected for a long period despite protests from historians and others, at many places one can see the overgrowth of vegetation and plants that have impacted the walls. affecting internal and external plaster as well as brick and stone masonry. The work on the clock tower got delayed due to beaurocratic bottlenecks and formalities despite efforts put in by the MP from this area -Imtiaz Jaleel.
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| Neglected Shahganj Clock tower, Aurangabad, MH..facebook.com |
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| Neglected Shahganj Clock tower, Aurangabad, MH..facebook.com |
As part of restoration work special attention would be paid to glass pans on the first floor as well as wooden planks which had to be replaced with fresh ones. Apart, the tower bell and clock would be made functional. The external walls of the tower would be given a few coats of lime wash to improve the life.and prevent fading
The Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (ASCDCL) already floated the tenders in November 2020 for the major repair work on the clock tower.
ASCDCL had already begun the work of maintenance, preservation and beautification of the eight historical gates such as .Kat Gate, Hijri Gate, Kala Gate, Barapulla Gate, Paithan Gate, Roshan Gate, Jafar Gate and Naubat Gate.
The clock tower was built between 3 May 1903 to 30, October, 1906. The cost of renovation of the clock tower would be Rs. 29 lakh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahboob_Ali_Khan
