Did Bihar’s new clock tower really stop working just hours after launch?

Imagine a clock tower sparking outrage before it’s even finished! In Bihar Sharif, a city striving to shine as a Smart City, an under-construction clock tower became the unlikely star of a social media storm.

Posts buzzing across platforms claimed the structure, allegedly costing a hefty ₹40 lakh, stopped ticking a mere 24 hours after its supposed "inauguration." The accusations were juicy: shoddy workmanship, wasted funds, and a monumental embarrassment for local authorities. But as the viral chatter grew louder, officials stepped in to rewind the narrative and set the record straight.

The truth unraveled

Municipal Commissioner Deepak Kumar Mishra, speaking to The Indian Express, dismantled the rumors with precision. The clock tower, he revealed, isn’t even complete—let alone inaugurated. Its actual cost? A modest ₹20 lakh, not the inflated ₹40 lakh figure floating online.

Far from a grand unveiling gone wrong, the tower had only been briefly powered up during a trial run for Pragati Yatra, a local event. It ticked for a moment, a fleeting tease of its potential, until mischief struck: unknown individuals stole a critical wire, leaving the clock lifeless. Hardly the scandal social media made it out to be.

A bigger picture emerges

This isn’t just a standalone timepiece, either. The clock tower is a cog in the larger Nala Road Project, a development effort to link Machli Mandi to Mughal Kuan. Three years in the making, the project has faced its share of hurdles—encroachment clearances, court cases, and shifting timelines.

Initially slated for a March debut, completion has now been pushed to May. Mishra emphasized that what stands today isn’t the final design; it’s a work in progress, misunderstood and misrepresented.

Time to rethink the tale

So, the next time you scroll past a sensational post about a broken clock tower, pause. In Bihar Sharif, the real story isn’t about failure—it’s about a theft, a delay, and a city still building toward its future, one tick at a time.