Wait for all-weather swimming pool to function at full capacity gets longer

Swimmers’ wait for all-weather pool at War Heroes Memorial Stadium to function at full capacity is set to get longer.

The tender for operations of the first government all-weather Olympic-size facility in the state expired in March. Subsequently, the pool was closed for beginners and the practice timings curtailed.

Earlier this month, the Sports Department had decided to hire temporary staff for to conduct operations and a walk-in interview was held.

However, the interview received a lukewarm response due to the uncertainty over the period of appointment, as the process for allotment of the tender to a firm is already underway at the headquarters level.

An official said, “In the absence of essential staff such as lifeguards and plant operators, the facility was closed for beginners. To resume full-scale operations, it was decided to hire temporary staff till the new tender is allotted. A walk-in interview was held for 10 posts, including four lifeguards, two sanitation workers, one plant operator, one electrician and two security guards. However, due to uncertainty over the tenure of job, it failed to get a good response.”

Even the trained swimmers were allowed to use the facility under the supervision of a senior coach due to which the timings were reduced. Earlier, the facility was open from 5 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 9 pm for the swimmers. However, due to the absence of adequate staff, the timings were cut down. The revised timings are 6 am to 8 am and 4 pm to 7 pm.

Senior swimming coach Ram Sharma said, “Due to staff shortage, only trained swimmers and those selected for the academy are allowed to use the facility. Efforts are being made to resume operations for the beginners. Once lifeguards are appointed, the facility will start functioning as per a proper training schedule.”

District Sports Officer Rajbir Singh said, “A tender for the operations of the pool has been opened at the headquarters level and the process is on. The interview was held to engage temporary staff. The candidates were told that they will be engaged through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam for around one month due to which the candidates for technical posts, including lifeguard and plant operator, didn’t show much interest. We are hopeful that the tender will be allotted soon.”

Ambala swimmers shine

Senior swimming coach Ram Sharma on Sunday said swimmers from Ambala have won 28 medals in the 42nd Sub-Junior, 52nd Junior and 60th Senior Haryana State Swimming Championship held in Bahadurgarh from July 7 to 12. The swimmers have won seven gold, nine silver, and 12 bronze medals.

Pavani won the Best Swimmer Trophy in girls group. District Sports Officer Rajbir Singh congratulated the swimmers and hoped that Ambala swimmers will perform well in the upcoming Khel Mahakumbh.

Haryana Tribune