The Bidhannagar Municipal Sports Complex swimming pool, opposite Mayukh Bhavan, had shut for the third time in two months, before it reopened on Wednesday. The pool in CJ Block had been shut last week too.
The water in the large pool opposite Mayukh Bhavan had apparently “got heavy” and needed treatment. The one in CJ Block, also run by the civic body, needed its water to be cleaned up and fresh chlorine added.
A senior official of the civic body said that due to the recent thundershowers, dust had flown into the pool, making the water heavy and murky. “We needed to thoroughly clean the pool so it had been shut down. Also fresh chlorine had to be added to ensure that the chemical settles properly,” the official said.
But swimmers are upset with the frequent closures. “The large pool opened in April and by the end of May it has had to be shut three times, each for five to six days. Is this what we’re paying through the nose for?” asks Sangita Saha, a resident of CJ Block whose two children have taken up swimming membership for the summer at the pool opposite Bikash Bhavan.
Her husband swims at the CJ Block pool as it is within walking distance of their home and he can squeeze in odd hours in between his work-from-home schedule. “But even this pool was shut for seven days last week. People are finally shrugging off the pandemic and getting back to normal life but the infrastructure and work culture at these facilities have not changed. Just like things closed before the pandemic, we are simply told that the water needs to be cleaned and that we will not get to swim,” says Saha.
When told about the swimmers’ frustrations, an official pointed out that the pool regulations clearly mentioned that apart from the weekly off on Thursdays, the pools could be shut for maintenance for at least four days at a stretch.
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