Mumbai: Prime city pool in shambles as summer looms

The BMC's Shivaji Park swimming pool, where central Mumbai residents go to beat the heat, is in a shambles. According to members, the shower rooms stink and lack water and doors while corroded lockers and broken tiles are putting off swimming enthusiasts. Officials have told mid-day that the contractor has been told to fix the issues as soon as possible.

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial swimming pool, popularly known as Shivaji Park pool, is visited by 1,000 to 1,200 swimmers daily. The maintenance contract of the pool was given to a company that is responsible for the upkeep of the deck, shower and changing rooms. The staffers who carry out day-to-day work have been provided by the contractor who gets paid by the BMC. Some members shared with mid-day pictures of the pitiable state of the facility.

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Washbasins that lack mirrors, and a broken duct covering

"First of all, there is no hygiene. The shower and changing rooms reek. It's like nobody is responsible for their maintenance. The changing rooms don't have doors. There are no mirrors. The toilets are terrible and the taps are missing," said a member on the condition of anonymity.

Another member said, "Two diving boards are missing. Also, the partition for the shower section near the pool is completely broken, so several members have stopped going there. There are several lockers available, but their condition is terrible; many of them have corroded doors, I don't feel like using them."

Some members told mid-day that several tiles around the pool are broken and uneven. Also, the ducts created to drain excess water have broken grills. Neha Joshi, manager at the pool, acknowledged the issues and said, "We have received complaints regarding missing doors, broken things and dirtiness. We have conveyed the same to the contractor and have asked them to fix these things before the vacation batches start."

The spot where once a diving board used to be

1,200
No of people who use pool daily