Global tick-tock for India’s first steel city

- Founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata to get towering tribute with three time zones

ANIMESH BISOEE

Foundation work for the clock tower underway at Triangular Park on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

This Founder’s Day, Jamshedpureans will get their own Big Ben, only three times better.

For, Tata Steel and Rotary Club of Jamshedpur have joined hands to erect a clock tower displaying three time zones in the heart of the city as a tribute to Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata on his 175th birth anniversary.

The yet-to-be-named tower, a 25ft aluminium column, is coming up at Triangular Park adjacent to Bistupur Post Office and Talwar Mansion. Being built at a cost of Rs 6 lakh, it is now running against time to get ready by March first week.

Founder’s Day falls on March 3, a day of festivity for the industrial township that owes its origin to the visionary Tata. If the clock tower is ready by then, so much the better.

The tower will boast three clocks, the largest with a three-feet diameter. Two others will have two-feet diameters each.

The larger clock will display Indian Standard Time while the smaller ones will show the corresponding time of two other countries, making the tower unique from other similar ones in India.

“We are yet to decide which two countries’ time will be displayed, but the international clocks will use GPS technology,” senior functionary of Rotary Club of Jamshedpur Ronnie D’ Costa, hotelier and social worker, said.

“The clocks will be placed in a way that it can be visible from Gopal Maidan, Bistupur police station and Talwar Mansion,” he added.

A Tata Steel source said two time zones would be selected from countries the steel major had a major presence in, but declined to specify for now.

This won’t be the steel city’s first tryst with clock towers. Earlier, Rotary Club, Jusco and Titan Industries had joined hands to build the Centennial Clock Tower at Bistupur roundabout in April 2005 to commemorate 100 years of Tata Steel. The landmark was dismantled in 2011 after it had a technical snag.

The steel major has also started many landscaping drives to spruce up the city ahead of March 3. Grass turf, rock boulders and painted tree stumps are giving a fresh look to roadsides near Baug-E-Jamsheed roundabout, the stretch linking CH Area with Sonari Airport and the artery leading to the army camp.

Roundabouts near DBMS English School and School of Hope in Northern Town have also received a makeover.

Also, major roads are being repaired and green lungs, including Jubilee Park, Nildih Park near Telco and Bhetiya Park in Kadma, will have scintillating illuminations as part of Founder’s Day celebrations.

This year, Jusco has used iron scaffolding to fence over eight acres of Jubilee Park. “Many visitors complain the rough edges of iron rods scratched them. This time, we used iron scaffolding for fencing as it has rounded ends,” said Jusco spokesperson Rajesh Rajan.