Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) will restore Mysuru’s 140‑year‑old Dufferin Clock Tower, also called Chikka Gadiyara, using its corporate social responsibility funds. The effort aims to bring back the clock’s machinery and chimes, which have been silent for almost three decades, and return the historic landmark to working order.
HMT’s technical officers have already examined the tower’s internal mechanism, dismantling parts to assess condition; they reported that several essential components are missing while others are costly and hard to source. The company will supply available spare parts from its inventory at no charge, but the Mysuru City Corporation must procure any rare or expensive items. City Corporation Commissioner MK Savitha explained that the corporation will buy parts directly if the price is under ₹1 lakh, whereas costs above that level will trigger a tender process or seek additional CSR assistance, and a meeting at the Vani Vilas Water Works office has been set to prepare a detailed cost estimate. The restoration programme also envisions work on the 75‑foot‑tall Silver Jubilee Clock Tower opposite the Town Hall, erected on 8 August 1927 to mark the 25th year of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar’s reign. The Chikka Gadiyara itself was erected in 1886 during Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar’s rule to commemorate British Viceroy Lord Dufferin’s visit and to promote public punctuality; its design features intricate carvings, pillars and a fountain at the base, and marble plaques on all four sides bearing inscriptions in Sanskrit, Kannada, English and Persian.