New Mkt clock springs back to life after repairs | Kolkata News

Kolkata: As the clock hands turned to 3.45 in the afternoon, the bells rang out in unison, first the quarterly chime and then the five dongs. For those who had heard the bells of the century-old clock toll before it had gone silent a decade ago, it was a nostalgic moment. “It revived old memories. I feel overwhelmed,” said Vivek Lilaram of M Lilaram & Co, a jewellery store that was set up in New Market in 1927. Roshni Chatterjee, a college student who heard it for the first time said it was magical. “The clock suddenly began to chime and transformed the atmosphere,” she gushed.

The New Market heritage tower, with the four-faced Gillett & Johnston Westminster clock that fell into disrepair and decay, sprang back to life on Tuesday, signalling the completion of the project. Two father-son teams carried out the work: Anjan and Saptarshi Mitra of architecture firm Appropriate Alternative carried out the civil work, while Swapan and Satyajit Dutta revived the clock and its striking mechanism.Techno Electric & Engineering Co Ltd funded the Rs 44 lakh work, which included Rs 6 lakh on the clock. “We are thrilled to be part of the project that restores one of only four such clocks in India,” said firm’s CSR head Heena Gorsia. The other three clocks are at IIEST Shibpur, Lower Parel railway workshop in Mumbai and Chennai Municipal Corporation. “We hope the restoration of this landmark will rejuvenate the neighbourhood,” said Mudar Patherya of Kolkata Restorers who envisioned the project.The restoration of the damaged tower began on July 24, 2025 and was completed in five months on Dec 22, 2025. Work on the clock started thereafter and was completed a couple of weeks ago. Two trials were held, including the final one on Saturday, before the handover to KMC on Tuesday. “The clock and its striking mechanism are operational, but it will require regular maintenance. It needs to be wound three times a week,” said Swapan Dutta. Mitra hopes the clock’s revival will spur KMC to undertake the restoration of the 151-year-old market.