Udupi: A swimming pool, constructed by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, is likely to be inaugurated in the month of April.
Assistant Director of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Dr Roshan Kumar Shetty, said that two swimming pools for seniors and kids are ready. “The senior’s swimming pool is 25 mtr long and 22 mtr wide, the swimming pool for children is 10 mtr long, 6 mtr wide and 3 ft deep. The swimming pools can be used to conduct district-level swimming competitions. Along with the swimming pools, 10 showers have been constructed for men and women separately. A dressing room is also ready. To supply water to the swimming pool, a borewell has been drilled. To organize state-level swimming events, the length of the swimming pool should be 50 meters.”
Dr Roshan further said that only after purifying the water, it will be supplied to the swimming pool. He said that the swimming pool will not be maintained by the department. Tenders will be invited for maintaining the pool. They will be entrusted with the responsibility to maintain cleanliness, payment of electricity bill and safety. They will also be responsible for appointing life guards to teach swimming and also look into the safety aspect. The public will be given entry to the pool only after fixing the fee, added Shetty.
“Separate timings will be fixed for men and women. This will help children who would like to learn swimming and also for practice. The district did not have either a government or a department swimming pool. We had to depend on the private swimming pools. The construction of the swimming pool will help the public.”
The swimming pool at indoor stadium was a long pending demand of the people of the district. A memorandum demanding the swimming pool was submitted to the then Chief Minister D V Sadananada Gowda during his visit to the district, who had immediately given nod to the proposal and the foundation was laid before releasing the funds. Later, it was the Minister for Youth Empowerment and Sports, Abhayachandra Jain, who released Rs 2 crore for the pool and the work commenced last year.
