With the Clocktower in the heart of the capital city in need of a dire need facelift, a month-long renovation was completed and handed over to the Thromde.
The clock tower opened on September 24 as the renovations were done and refurbished. With only cleanup left, the clock tower is now open for all people.
Yangchey, a coffee lover, who usually comes to meet her friends at the cafes near the clocktower shared that she is happy that the facelift has been completed. She said, “During the renovation period, I could not visit the cafes nearby due to the noise and dust. But now, it feels great to be able to come here again.”
“Comparatively, the clocktower square has become very spacious with all the defunct fountains and Mani Lakhors was removed. Even the sitting benches have been removed. It looks a bit different with all those bleachers being painted but it looks good,” she added.
During the renovation, the cafes and stores nearby were affected by the month-long renovation works. Business owners operating nearby expressed their hope of getting their situations better.
“During the renovation period, we lost 90 per cent of our customers. Because of the dust and noise and such disturbances, we lost our customers and our sales dropped. Of course, we are not blaming it, because such things are common occurrences when renovating but we are very hopeful about the future. I believe that we will get our customers back,” shared a business owner.
“The clocktower needed to be maintained. Everything was damaged and it looked so dull and dirty. The clock tower is at the center of the city and it is one of the city’s main features. Most people come here to meet their friends, children come to play and parents sit nearby or eat at restaurants. We needed the facelift and I think it will be much better for all people and children”, another added.
The facelift was estimated to amount to Nu. 2.5 million (M). However, some said that it’s carried out for more than Nu 5.4 M. The refurbishments included repainting the clocktower, clearing the clogged drains, and replacement of stormwater drains and dolep (stone) covers, redoing plaster works, and removal of defunct fountains and damaged benches among many others.
“Well, the renovation was a bit rushed, we had to complete everything within a month. We also had to redo some work because people came by and disturbed our work. Some had to redo the plasters because people stepped on the plaster works before it dried, so we faced such challenges. We are only left with the cleanup now and the cleanup will be done pretty soon,” shared the site engineer.
With the works completed, people visiting the clocktower shared, “Well, it seems it is almost completed. I think, by the week, many people will come to visit.”
According to the Thromde media focal officer, everyone will be benefiting from the facelift. She shared, “It is a Thimphu city landmark that is used for numerous purposes, not only do people organize events and shows but many people find themselves socializing in the area surrounding the clocktower.”
The clock tower opened on September 24 as the renovations were done and refurbished. With only cleanup left, the clock tower is now open for all people.
Yangchey, a coffee lover, who usually comes to meet her friends at the cafes near the clocktower shared that she is happy that the facelift has been completed. She said, “During the renovation period, I could not visit the cafes nearby due to the noise and dust. But now, it feels great to be able to come here again.”
“Comparatively, the clocktower square has become very spacious with all the defunct fountains and Mani Lakhors was removed. Even the sitting benches have been removed. It looks a bit different with all those bleachers being painted but it looks good,” she added.
During the renovation, the cafes and stores nearby were affected by the month-long renovation works. Business owners operating nearby expressed their hope of getting their situations better.
“During the renovation period, we lost 90 per cent of our customers. Because of the dust and noise and such disturbances, we lost our customers and our sales dropped. Of course, we are not blaming it, because such things are common occurrences when renovating but we are very hopeful about the future. I believe that we will get our customers back,” shared a business owner.
“The clocktower needed to be maintained. Everything was damaged and it looked so dull and dirty. The clock tower is at the center of the city and it is one of the city’s main features. Most people come here to meet their friends, children come to play and parents sit nearby or eat at restaurants. We needed the facelift and I think it will be much better for all people and children”, another added.
The facelift was estimated to amount to Nu. 2.5 million (M). However, some said that it’s carried out for more than Nu 5.4 M. The refurbishments included repainting the clocktower, clearing the clogged drains, and replacement of stormwater drains and dolep (stone) covers, redoing plaster works, and removal of defunct fountains and damaged benches among many others.
“Well, the renovation was a bit rushed, we had to complete everything within a month. We also had to redo some work because people came by and disturbed our work. Some had to redo the plasters because people stepped on the plaster works before it dried, so we faced such challenges. We are only left with the cleanup now and the cleanup will be done pretty soon,” shared the site engineer.
With the works completed, people visiting the clocktower shared, “Well, it seems it is almost completed. I think, by the week, many people will come to visit.”
According to the Thromde media focal officer, everyone will be benefiting from the facelift. She shared, “It is a Thimphu city landmark that is used for numerous purposes, not only do people organize events and shows but many people find themselves socializing in the area surrounding the clocktower.”
