Bhatkal: The clock tower at Shamsuddin Circle in Bhatkal was demolished on Saturday as part of the ongoing four-lane expansion of National Highway 66.

The demolition began around 3:00 pm under police supervision headed by Inspector Divakar, with three to four JCB machines deployed at the site. It took nearly two hours to remove the two-tonne granite sphere mounted at the top of the structure, briefly affecting traffic on the highway. The tower was completely razed by around 6:00 pm.

Shamsuddin Circle is named after Jukaku Shamsuddin, a prominent political leader from Bhatkal who served as Deputy Finance Minister of the erstwhile State of Mysore (now Karnataka) in the 1950s. The clock tower was constructed in 2002 by local businessman Shabib Kola at an estimated cost of about ₹10 lakh.

The structure featured four pillars supporting the granite sphere, with clocks mounted on all four sides.

According to Kola, the tower was conceived as a “Symbol of Unity” to promote harmony among people of different faiths.