In the past, work on a clock tower at Ajni Square was begun to enhance the aesthetic of the city of Nagpur. However, it stopped working in 2014. Radhakrishnan B, the municipal commissioner, initiated the restart. Fast and inexpensive repairs were made by public sector enterprise (PSU) Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT).
The clock tower was built in 2012 for a price of 240 lakh by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). On a 21-meter-high parabolic stainless steel structure, a satellite watch with a prism shape was attached. Durbar Watch Company suggested spending 236 lakh per year on upkeep and beautifying the area around the clock.
In return, the company was allowed to erect five gantries in the municipal area and it was to be granted rights to advertise for 10 years.
However, the standing committee decided to cut the concession period to advertise for three years. But the company wanted the period to be 10 years. In April 2022 the municipal commissioner took the initiative and directed deputy commissioner (revenue) Milind Meshram to find other agencies for the job.
HMT agreed to do the job and sent Venkatesh for an inspection. 1.72 lakh was spent on repairing the clock tower. The Fire Department by using TTL n and telescopic crane provided by the factory e department helped HMT in restarting the clock in nine days from July 13 to 21.
