HYDERABAD: The summer is here and the temperatures are soaring, forcing the city residents to desperately look for ways to beat the heat.Though they are finding many avenues or devising their own methods to keep themselves cool, this year the Hyderabadis are missing one annual feature - swimming sessions in the GHMC swimming pools. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation throws open their swimming pools to public in March ever year. However, there is no sign of the Corporation authorities doing the same this year, at least till now, even though the summer has already started peaking.
Every year, the pools are closed during the winter season from December and opened in first week of March. According to some officials, the inordinate delay in opening pools this year is due to the ongoing maintenance and renovation works.
Currently, there seven swimming pools in Ameerpet, Vijaya Nagar Colony, Moghalpura, Chandulal Baradari, Sanathnagar, Secunderabad and Amberpet. But all of them do not have water in it.
At Secunderabad swimming pool, for instance, the cleaning of the 50-meter pool is still underway. At Vijaya Nagar Colony and Ameerpet pools, works on replacement of safety rods and repairing of broken staircases are yet to be completed.
“Maintenance works at all the pools are pending. We are awaiting the officials to take up the activity and get the pools ready,” informed a GHMC sports officer. “Considering the ongoing elections work, there is going to be a delay and it is likely that the pools will be opened by April,” informed another official.
Demand for exclusive women’s sessions in mornings
Interestingly, though the pools are yet to be thrown open to public, women are making requests to GHMC coaches to schedule exclusive women’s coaching sessions in the mornings. Usually, pools are open for designated hours during the evening hours. However, some have protested last year for the pools to be open, for a slot, during the morning hours as well