Pune: Seven Swimming Pools Built By PMC Closed; Repair Work Stalled Due To Lack Of Funds

Pune, 12th March 2023: As many as seven swimming pools built by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) at a cost of crores of rupees have been closed since last year for repair work. As the required funds are not provided in the budget of the municipality for the repair of these pools, the time to keep these swimming pools closed has dragged on. Meanwhile, funds have been sought from the sports department for the budget of 2023-24 for this repair work and only if this fund is received, the pools will be opened.

The Municipal Corporation has constructed 34 swimming pools in different parts of the city for the citizens. These pools are leased to contractors to operate them from the Municipal Corporation. The fee for citizens coming to the pools is determined by the municipality. Contractors are bound to charge the same.

These municipal swimming pools were closed after March 2020 due to the Corona pandemic. Last year, many contractors did not pay the rent of the pool citing the coronavirus. After that, the municipality started 25 pools for this summer. While the condition of the seven pools has deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and repairs, the swimming pools are closed as it will incur huge expenses.

Due to the lack of funds required for the maintenance of these pools in the budget, they have been closed. A pool at Sinhagad Road was also closed due to a dispute over the tender process. However, the administration has put a proposal before the commissioner to allow it to run. Therefore, around 26 swimming pools will be available for citizens this summer.