1 week Ago By Prasad Kulkarni
Pune: The swimming enthusiasts will not be able to enjoy 9 out of 35 PMC-run swimming pools this summer because the civic body has closed them for maintenance. "Some of these pools were damaged and required civil works. The probability of accidents or injuries was high if the pools were kept operational," said a civic official.
PMC's move has not gone down well with the swimmers, who blame poor planning by the administration. The citizens said keeping pools shut was a waste of public funds. According to PMC officials, four pools out of the non-functional pools would be operational soon.
According to citizens, these facilities were affordable and well-equipped. Many citizens, who could not afford private pools, used these facilities. These pools were located at key locations.
The administration must make them functional, the citizens said. "The proposal to restart four pools was at the final stage. The required maintenance would be completed at the earliest and citizens would be able to use the facility soon," said Kishori Shinde, head of PMC's sports department.
The officials said civic pools were managed by third-party contractors, who sign affidavits to comply with safety, management and maintenance rules. Stricter enforcement of safety norms, regular audits and responsible pool management have become critical to ensure that swimming pools were the places of recreation and not tragedy, said the officials. PMC has commissioned an audit by the Rashtriya Life Saving Society India (RLSS) of all public swimming pools in the city.
Kavita Sharma, senior vice president of RLSS, said, "It would not be enough to close swimming pools, the whole tendering system and operation system and other related processes should be relooked." "It would be to ensure that the pools were managed professionally," she said. Rohan More, an international swimmer, said the govt facilities would play a key role in building players of national and international repute, but provided they were kept well.
"Aspiring players could get well trained in civic facilities. The corporation could build infrastructure and maintain it well, if the willingness was shown at the administration level," he said..
