A portion of the historic Shalibanda clock tower collapsed after rain in Hyderabad, raising concerns over the safety of the century-old heritage structure. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: A portion of the historic Shalibanda clock tower collapsed after rain in the early hours of Saturday, raising concerns among locals about the risk of further damage and possible injuries.

The tower had already been damaged in a fire a year ago and was left neglected.

According to locals, part of the tower collapsed around midnight.

No one was injured.

Ekta Saxena, a local resident, said she noticed that part of the arch had collapsed while dropping her children off in the morning.

“It happened at midnight.

If anyone had been hit by the falling portion, it could have led to a major incident,” she said.

She added that some officials had inspected the structure after the fire, but no action had been taken since then.

Sumith, a local shop owner, said he learnt of the incident after arriving at his shop in the morning.

“Locals said it happened at midnight.

This route is used by people throughout the day, and we had a narrow escape from a major incident,” he said.

Locals said the structure was not being treated as a heritage site and was under acquisition for the Old City Metro Rail project.

The century-old Shalibanda clock tower regained its former glory after restoration work was completed in 2023.

The tower has clocks on its front and back, and used to chime every hour from 6 a.m. to midnight.

However, it fell silent in November 2025 after a fire in an adjacent building damaged the clock.

On November 24, 2025, a showroom next to the tower caught fire, causing major damage to the structure.

The fire triggered continuous explosions as several air-conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines went up in flames.

Two people died in the fire and several others were injured.

The tower once served as the gateway to Raja Rai Rayan Shamraj Bahadur Palace.

Raja Rai Rayan Shamraj Bahadur was a noble who served as a member of the Nizam’s Executive Council.

The palace was built in the style of 19th-century colonial architecture.

Heritage activists said the clock tower had been damaged several times in the past and urged the GHMC to take measures to protect it.

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