VIJAYAWADA: The city police have arrested two persons in connection with the drowning of an eight-year old boy at the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation-managed swimming pool at the Gymkhana Grounds here on Friday.
T Manish, a 4th class student of a private school, joined the swimming classes at the pool 10 days back. On Friday evening, while waiting to practise swimming in the pool, he got drowned. Though immediately rescued and rushed to a hospital, he was declared ‘brought dead’.
According to Satyanarayanapuram circle inspector M Satyanarayana, trainer E Ravi Kiran and swimming pool incharge K Bhadrachalam have been arrested on charges of negligence, due to which Manish died.
He said that the mishap occurred as the pool was overcrowded with 60 children and only one coach E Ravi Kumar to supervise them.
He said that Manish lost his balance and fell into the water as there was little place for him to stand.
Though some people managed to immediately pull the boy out of the pool, his life could not be saved as there was no life-saving equipment there, the CI added.
Manish’s father T Ravi, a medical representative, and mother T Lalitha Rani, an advocate, said it was due to the negligence of the coach and the supervisors in taking even the basic safety measures, that their son had died. They demanded stern punishment to the accused.
Meanwhile, VMC commissioner G Veerapandian, who inspected the pool on Saturday, was also shocked to find lack of facilities and insufficient number of coaches at the swimming pool and asked for a detailed report immediately.
He directed the VMC sports wing officials to maintain first aid equipment at the pool and to restrict the entry into the pool, until they provided the basic facilities.
The commissioner asked the officials to submit a report regarding the safety measures required at the pool and the number of coaches needed for the present number of children using the pool.
He directed them to increase the number of training slots for the children.