Surat's garden clock comes to a halt

Authorities blame heavy flow of tourists, for the clock coming to a halt. If you are planning to visit World's third biggest Garden Clock, developed by the Surat Municipal Corporation

(SMC) at Bhestan, then you will have to postpone the same for a few days, as the garden clock is out of order since many weeks and the civic administration is trying hard to restore the

clock. Authorities blame heavy flow of tourists, for the clock coming to a halt. The garden clock has come to a halt since few weeks, for unknown reasons. Civic officials somehow managed to

start the clock, but it soon either stops or runs late. At present, rather than being the centre of attraction, the clock is proving to be a failed project. This is because SMC spent more

than Rs 21 lakh for installing and operating the clock in the garden. Its non-functionality now has perplexed even the civic officials. Officials in the South Zone said that, the Chennai

based company, which has developed the clock, is ready to repair it. The clock was working perfectly well during its installation, and is equipped with ultra-modern technology. K Desai,

in-charge of the project accepted that the clock was not working and said that they are waiting for company technicians to inspect it. He expressed hope that the clock will get repaired, as

soon as possible. "The situation has occurred due to heavy flow of visitors in the garden. Many visitors climb over the clock dial and touch the hour hands. Our security guards have

tried to avoid the situation, but in most cases, they are over-powered and are unable to do much. Due to continuous contravene, some crucial parts in the clock might have got damaged,"

Desai added. Sources said that, regular repair of the clock is also important because SMC has applied in the Limca Book of Records to register it, as the world's third largest garden

clock. A team might arrive anytime to inspect the clock, before registering it in their record books. At that time, if they find it to be non-functional, then SMC's plans might get

shattered.