‘Everyone has a mobile phone’: Court questions UP town’s clock tower plan

The Allahabad High Court has questioned the proposed construction of a clock tower in the crowded Firozabad market, arguing that in the modern era, people have mobile phones and wristwatches to tell time. A division bench of Justices JJ Munir and Indrajeet Shukla stated that the tower serves no purpose in the present day. The court observed that clock towers have no relevance when every man has a wrist watch and a mobile phone with international time at his disposal.

The bench issued notices to the Firozabad Municipal Corporation and senior officers to provide justification for building the tower. The petition was filed by local trader Gaurav Goyal, whose shop is opposite the proposed site in Purani Mandi, Sadar Bazar. Goyal claimed that construction would harm his business. The Municipal Corporation argued that the land was donated to the department in 1970 for the purpose of building a clock tower.

However, the court noted that the land is now situated in a busy market with no parking space, and construction would adversely affect the petitioner's business. The court emphasized that while it does not wish to dictate the authorities' choices, the donated land can be utilized for any contemporary public purpose deemed appropriate by the Nagar Nigam, Firozabad.

The court has directed all concerned authorities to file counter affidavits within two weeks, and the matter has been listed for a hearing on September 30.