Public sector HMT Ltd, 'time keepers of the nation', has unveiled a giant Tower Clock, bigger than the Big Ben of London, at the Omkar ashram on the outskirts of the Bangalore. The Tower Clock, is situated on a hillock and has a diameter of 24 feet. The numerical indices on the face were two-and-a-half feet high. The dial of the clock was constructed on two columns at a height of 40 feet from the ground having three feet square columns. It is a monolithic reinforced structure of about 20 tonnes of steel and 2000 cubic metres of concrete to withstand wind pressure of a maximum of 150 kg per square metre.
While the movements of the clock weigh about 500 kg, the hour and minute hands weighed about 40 kg each. The total clock movement is housed in lubricating oil tanks with automatic control on and off lubrication system. The clock mechanism is driven by high torque stepper motors/synchronous motors.

Another unique feature of the clock is hourly striking bell sound starting with ''shanka vadana'' (sound of conch) and followed by ''omkar nada'' in the form of digital information fused flash memory electronic chip. The bell sound can be heard up to a three km radius from the clock tower. The sound would be automatically controlled by an intelligent drive that switches on at four am and off at 11 pm. Bureau Report