“Mapang Tongshi”, a new clock tower symbolizing unity, heritage, and the timeless spirit of Mokokchung town was inaugurated at Kathing Park, Mokokchung on August 14. The inaugural plaque was unveiled by Sentirenla Jamir, wife of Sharingain Longkumer,
speaker Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
According to the technical report, the “Mapang Tongshi” clock tower was constructed under the Iconic Project, LADP 2024–25, at a project cost of ₹50 lakh as per NPWD SOR 2021 rates. The tower is a G+4 structure with a total height of 62 feet and a plinth area
of 1,250 sq. ft. Each floor measures 13 feet by 13 feet, connected by a metal spiral staircase. The ground floor will house a coffee shop with ample space for customers to sit inside as well as outside, while the first and second floors will consist of an art gallery and souvenir shop. The third floor will serve as a viewpoint. Separate access gates are provided for the coffee shop and the main tower. The tower will feature four clocks, one on each face, each measuring 90 inches in diameter, electrically operated, GPS-synchronized, and supported by battery backup.
The clocks will also have a bell that chimes every hour for 15 hours daily, and the clock face will self-illuminate at night. A rooftop finial, which also serves as a lightning resistor, is installed at the top, with separate earthing systems for both the clock and the lightning resistor. Additional facilities include a separate washroom, security fencing around the tower’s perimeter, and metal railings along the pathway leading to the tower.
Councillor Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC) MB Longkumer, in his address on the
occasion, recalled the history of the old Clock Tower and outlined his vision for the new one.
He recalled that in 1970, the state government sanctioned ₹40,000 for the construction of Clock Towers in Kohima, Mokokchung, and Tuensang. As vice chairman of the then Mokokchung Town Committee in 1973, he said he took over the groundwork initiated by his predecessor, Imtisungit Jamir.
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The project, executed by late businessman-contractor Mapuzenba Longchar, faced a funding shortfall, prompting Longkumer to secure additional funds from Development Commissioner Sashimeren Aier.
Four clocks were procured from Mumbai, and the tower was inaugurated on December 17, 1976, by SC Dev, then Commissioner Nagaland.
Longkumer noted that the old tower, nearing its 50th anniversary, had served the town well despite its clocks eventually ceasing to function.
In 2023, during the Golden Jubilee Mokokchung Christmas Cake Race, NLA speaker Sharingain Longkumer announced his willingness to rebuild a new Clock Tower. A new
site was later donated by the Mokokchung Village Kichu Clan. The MMC councillor expressed hope that “the new clock tower will watch over an even greater transformation in the next 50 years.”
Envisioning the future, he called for reclaiming Mokokchung’s position as the commercial hub of northern Nagaland, developing the Imkongmeren Sports Complex, improving healthcare and education, addressing water scarcity and sanitation, and implementing infrastructure projects such as a ring road, national highways, the Dikhu Hydro Project, and the Tuli railway line.
The dedicatory prayer for the new tower was offered by Rev. Ponen Longchar, Senior Pastor of Mokokchung Town Baptist Arogo (MTBA).
The newly built clock tower will consist of a Cafeteria in the ground floor, souvenir shop solely managed by young entrepreneurs of Mokokchung. The souvenir shop is expected to open avenues for artesian and showcase Mokokchung soft-power to tourist.
