Don’t inaugurate amenities if not 100 per cent useable

Now after monitoring, authorities claim it is safe to re-open. An angry and sceptical public is not buying this explanation

Citizens living in and around Balkum, Thane, rejoiced after a swimming pool was inaugurated in February this year. Their joy though was short-lived as the Thane Municipal Corporation shut it in three days citing a technical problem. TMC said the pool will be ready for public use in two weeks, but locals feel the delay was deliberate as politicians want it to be opened close to civic polls, said a report in this paper.

The Balkum Dharmveer Anand Dighe swimming pool was ready after a six-year-long wait. Soon after its inauguration in the last week of February, the TMC said the water quality had deteriorated and that there was a leakage. It was shut for repairs, depriving children of access to the pool during their summer vacation.

Now after monitoring, authorities claim it is safe to re-open. An angry and sceptical public is not buying this explanation.

Whatever the truth one cannot help but be surprised by the fact that a facility that took six long years to open had to be shut down once again.

This is once again a pointer to numerous amenities opened in a flurry only to malfunction in some time and be closed till they are deemed fit to re-open.

A classic case in point is the Nana Chowk skywalk. The SoBo facility has an escalator which has hardly functioned since inception in 2014. It malfunctioned some time after inauguration and the on-off game, more off than on, has continued for years to the despair of the locals.

When amenities are made there must be broad long-term vision. Quality needs to be top notch whether it is a pool or a footpath, and finally longevity must be key. Let us focus on the ‘staying aspect’ so that you also build belief in the public and lessen trust deficit.

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