Bengaluru: Here is good news for the residents, especially the youth, from Shivajinagar, Ulsoor, Cox Town, Frazer Town and other areas in Bengaluru. The Kensington Swimming Pool that was closed for more than eight years is all set to open for public shortly, if the Department of Sports and Youth Services succeeds in completing the formalities of floating tenders to find a suitable contractor for the maintenance of the swimming pool.
Once, Kensington Swimming Pool was the favourite destination for prospective swimmers. It had the privilege of having trained 41 international swimmers who brought laurels to Karnataka state between 1982 and 1999. It was also a favourite destination for youth from Shivajinagar, Ulsoor, Cox Town, Frazer Town and other areas in Bengaluru east to spend some time in swimming at the pool during summer. It was also a destination for the shooting of some of the Kannada films.
However, it was shut in 2005 on the pretext of better infrastructure at the pool. After three years of its closure, the then Commissioner of the Department of Sports and Youth Services Amar Kumar Pandey took an initiative to renovate the pool in 2008. The sports and youth services department had declared the pool as the venue for swimming competitions in 2009-10, but the competitions had to be canceled due to the delay in completing the renovation work.
The swimming pool was owned by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. It was leased out to the department of sports and youth services for 11 months in 1995. Surprisingly, the lease period was not extended by BBMP due to the reasons best known to it. However, the department of sports and youth services had floated tenders again on May 6, 2010. The estimated cost of the renovation was Rs 1,33,86,879, but the contactor did not complete the work. It compelled the department of sports and youth services to blacklist the contractor for not completing the work as per schedule. Meanwhile, the youth and sports department floated tender on May 23, 2014 but no contractor evinced interest to take up the renovation work till June 24, 2014. The department had once again floated the tender on June 27, 2014.
Now, the residents familiar with the repeated assurances from the authorities concerned on the re-opening of the swimming pool as early as possible are not ready to believe the authorities. “I hope the authorities to open the swimming pool within a month. I think they will give lame excuses on the delay in opening of the swimming pool. It has been closed for around 10 years. I have no idea about what has made the authorities to close it. We were very happy with the existing facilities at the swimming pool. It may not be an exaggeration to say that it was the only swimming pool existing in Bengaluru east,” said NS Ravi, president, Bharathinagar Residents’ Welfare Association.
Echoing similar opinion, Praveen Kumar from Sivanchetty Gardens has said that the authorities concerned failed miserably to utilise the swimming pool situated at a prime location. “I want the sports and youth services department to re-open the swimming pool as soon as possible,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, S Hareesh, assistant engineer, department of sports and youth services said the swimming pool was renovated at an estimated cost of Rs 3.50 crore. “The renovation work was supposed to be completed in last December, but got delayed. We are in the process of inviting bidders for the maintenance of the swimming pool. I hope the process will be completed within a month,’’ Hareesh said.
When contacted, Anupam Agarwal, Director, Department of Sports and Youth Services, said the tenders were floated last month inviting bidders for the maintenance of the swimming pool, but not many evinced interest. “We are floating tenders again inviting bidders. I hope some bidders come forward this time. If all goes well, the swimming pool will be inaugurated in a month. We can’t inaugurate it without having an agency or a contractor to maintain the swimming pool,’’ Agarwal said.
Will the authorities concerned stick to the schedule? The gullible and hapless citizens have to wait and watch.
