The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) is facing flak from the locals on social media platforms as well as from the heritage experts of the city after they observed the installation of blue mosaic tiles common in bathrooms and swimming pools placed on a wall around the Clock Tower. The MCD is planning to set up an illuminated fountain for the beautification of the Clock Tower for which these tiles were recently put but the locals did not admire the changes and opined that such changes are killing the aura and charm of the Clock Tower. Though some people were hopeful that these tiles will probably not be visible in the completed look of the site but municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey informed that the installed tiles will be there in the finished look as they have been installed with this purpose.
Furthermore, some MCD officials also stated that the construction at the site is not completed yet, so judging it amid the ongoing construction would not be right. Talking about this matter, heritage expert and independent director of Dehradun Smart City Limited, Lokesh Ohri said that Clock Tower is a 100 years old heritage structure and first iconic structure in Dehradun which was constructed after India's independence. Besides its phenomenal architectural style, it is also associated with many famous Indian personalities like Sarojini Naidu who laid the foundation of the Clock Tower and Lal Bahadur Shastri who inaugurated it, stated Ohri.
According to him, this rareness is the character of the Clock Tower which makes it an integral part of Dehradun that separates this city from others and hence, we need to preserve the heritage of Dehradun that represents our city. As per Ohri, the blue mosaic tiles installed by MCD do not complement the building structure of the Clock Tower but rather makes it unsightly. The government bodies should consider all the aspects before working on or nearby a historical site because it is important to preserve the essence of a historic structure while one tries to renovate or beautify it, he added. The experts also opined that the officials should take advice and opinions of heritage consultants and experts before making any changes on or around the heritage structures so that the structures like Clock Tower continue to retain their spirit and beauty for years.