Fate of swimming pool remains uncertain

The fate of the Coimbatore Corporation’s proposal for a new swimming pool remains uncertain, at least for now. Sources in the Coimbatore Corporation say that when it first mooted the proposal for a swimming pool, it sought assistance from the Sports Development Authority for funds.

The Authority came forward to contribute Rs. 75 lakh towards constructing the pool, which was conceived with international standards. After some discussion on maintenance, user charges, etc. the Corporation has asked the Authority to sanction the money so that it could build and maintain the swimming pool and share a portion of the revenue with the Authority.

This pool was first supposed to have come up in the site, which is popularly called Handloom Grounds and is at the Nanjappa Road-Park Road junction.

The Corporation then reconsidered the decision to build a pool at the site. It decided to move the pool to the Shastri Maidan in R.S. Puram. This proposal had a short life and the Corporation decided to shift back the pool to the Handloom Grounds.

Thereafter nothing much happened. The sources say that the proposal is still with the Authority, which has to agree to the Corporation building and maintaining the pool.

Meanwhile, the Corporation has also taken up another proposal – to build an indoor stadium and a pool of international standards at the 45-acre plot in the jail grounds. The land the Corporation has identified is the one where the Semmozhi Poonga was to have come up.

The land was then transferred to Local Administration Department and is under the control of the Commissioner for Municipal Administration.

Sources in the Corporation say that the civic body has written to the Commissioner for Land Administration seeking change of land use – from a park to stadium and swimming pool. Once that permission arrives, the civic body will prepare a detail project report for funds.