By Hazel Gandhi
The photo of a clock tower from Nepal is being falsely shared as the one in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir which was restored ahead of the G20 meet in the city.
Srinagar hosted the G20 delegates for three days, from May 20-22, and the misleading claim is being circulated in this context.
The photo is being shared with the caption, "The clock tower (Ghanta Ghar) is being restored and rebuilt by SMC to reflect our heritage and architecture – down to the finest details as a part of Srinagar’s facelift for G20 meet..."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral photo shows the clock tower in Birgunj, Nepal.
A reverse image search of the photo on Google led us to several photos of the Nepal clock tower taken from different angles. A photo posted by the Consulate General of India in Birgunj can be seenhere.
We also looked up the clock tower at Lal Chowk, Srinagar, and found that it was noticeably distinct from the one in Nepal. Here is a comparison:
Further, we also noticed a watermark at the bottom of the photo that read 'Govind Photography'.
We used this information to look for the original photo, and found it on a Facebook page called Govind photography. The photo, uploaded on March 17 was shared with the caption, "Today's raining after weather at Birgunj." The user had also used hashtags such as #birgunjnepal and #birgunj.
The same user had shared different photographs with the same watermark. See here and here.
However, according to reports by Hindustan Times and The Tribune, Srinagar underwent a Rs 980-crore Smart City project which included renovations and beautification of the area around the clock tower at Lal Chowk ahead of the G20 Summit. This also included reconstructing the clock tower itself. Rising Kashmir, in a YouTube video uploaded on April 3, 2023, shared some visuals of the construction of the clock tower.
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