BMC pools in shambles but three more planned

Mumbai: The maintenance of existing municipal swimming pools is abysmal, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to set up three new swimming pools at three places in the city — Worli, Malad and Vikhroli — at the cost of more than Rs 24 crore.

The swimming pools will be constructed at Worli Hill reservoir, Chacha Nehru Kridangan near Liberty Garden at Malad and Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Kridangan, Tagore Nagar, Vikhroli (east). The works of the Worli and Vikhroli swimming pools have been allotted to M/s KK Thorat for Rs 8.22 crore and Rs 8.19 crore respectively.

The works of Malad swimming pool will be carried out by M/s Prime Civil Infrastructure Private Limited at the cost of Rs 8.13 crore.

The BMC presently have seven swimming pools — Mahatma Gandhi Mem-orial Olympic Swimming pool, Dadar; Municipal Swimming pool, Ghatkopar; General Arun-kumar Vaidya Swimming Pool, Chembur; SVP Swimming Pool, Kandivali and Shri Murbalidevi Swimming Pool, Dahisar.

Furthermore, two swimming pools at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Mulund and Shahaji Raje Sports Complex, Andheri, are being jointly managed by BMC and Lalit Kala Pratishthan.

While the BMC is planning to construct new swimming pools in the city, it has been found that majority of pools are not operational. The swimming pools at Dadar, Kandivali, Andheri and Mulund have been closed for several months, causing inconvenience to athletes and the common people. After a wait of couple of years, the BMC has finally undertaken the repairs of SVP swimming pool at Kandivali at the cost of Rs 45.49 crore.

BJP corporator Manoj Kotak said, “People visit the municipal swimming pools as they cannot afford privately run pools by gymkhanas and sports complexes. However, several pools have been shut down for various reasons. The BMC recently was forced to shut down the Mulund swimming pool due to poor quality of water. The civic officials are turning a deaf ear towards their demands to start them again.”