Mangaluru, (The HIndu): Civil works on rebuilding the clock tower at Hampankatta demolished two decades ago here will begin within a week, according to Mayor Kavita Sanil.

She told reporters on the sidelines of a phone-in programme on Monday that contract for the project has been awarded. It would be re-constructed under the Smart City Mission. The Mayor said that it was her dream project.

A Smart City Mission official said that the tower would be 75 ft high. The square shape tower would have four clocks on four sides, with each one being six ft wide. The bottom half and top portion of the tower would be 14 ft wide and the upper half would be 10 ft wide.

The civil works would cost  57 lakh. The tower would have laterite finish. The cost of the clocks were yet to be worked out.

The old clock tower built in 1968 was demolished in 1994 for road widening works. It was 45 ft high. Though it has been two decades after its demolition, the area in front of the Town Hall where the Clock Tower stood is still popularly called as Clock Tower Circle.

Earlier, at the phone-in programme, a caller complained about a deep crater on the road in front of Jyothi cinema. The Mayor agreed that it was coming in the way of traffic movement and instructed engineers to repair the stretch without delay.

Two residents from Barebail complained that a road in their area was dug up for underground sewage network project a decade ago. Later, the corporation did not asphalt the road. Replying to this, the Mayor said that the road would be asphalted at an estimated cost of  37.50 lakh. Bids have been invited for taking up the work, she said.

A caller said that a large drain behind Karvali Utsav Grounds remained without dredging. It was now emanating foul smell. The Mayor asked health officials to attend to it.

A resident from Kulashekara said that 10 houses near DKMUL milk diary have been deprived of underground sewage network, though houses in other areas nearby have been connected with the network.