Noida: Noida Authority on Monday quietly inaugurated the city’s second clock tower near GIP Mall, even as its view is partially blocked by a police check post standing directly in front of it.The 75-foot structure, built at Rs 1.8 crore and inspired by the Lal Chowk Clock Tower, was to be inaugurated on the city’s foundation day on April 17, but was deferred due to protests by industrial workers.Anand Mohan, deputy director (horticulture), Noida Authority, said the tower was ready last month but could not be opened then. “We have installed batteries in the clock, and it has started functioning. The main gate will remain locked for safety reasons,” he said.Officials said the Authority was in talks with the police department to shift the GIP police check post behind the tower, and a container has already been placed at the site as an interim arrangement. Currently, the post not only obstructs a clear view of the clock tower but also blocks traffic movement on a section of the road in front of it.Clock towers have increasingly featured in urban beautification drives across Indian cities, serving as reference points at intersections and public spaces. Noida’s first clock tower, a 25-foot structure modelled on the iconic Clock Tower of Mangaluru, was inaugurated on Jan 1 in Sector 128 near the Hajipur underpass crossing at a cost of approximately Rs 30 lakh.
