BMC pool in Dahisar closed for 2 months as tiles fall off

Due to the tiles falling off, some of the pool members bought their own antiseptics to treat cuts and bruises. “It is shocking that tiles have come off so soon,” a member said. “When the tiles were coming off, the members complained to the pool management”

Mumbai: Just eight years after the civic-run Murbalidevi Swimming Pool was opened in Dahisar East, it has been closed due to the tiles coming off and causing injuries to the members. The pool has been closed for two months to carry out repair work.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has stopped pool membership from January 31. (HT Photo)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has stopped pool membership from January 31. “We have closed the Dahisar East pool as tiles have come off. This can happen when the pool is old. We have closed the pool for two months to get the tiles repaired,” Kishor Gandhi, deputy commissioner of BMC (garden), said.

Due to the tiles falling off, some of the pool members bought their own antiseptics to treat cuts and bruises. “It is shocking that tiles have come off so soon,” a member said. “When the tiles were coming off, the members complained to the pool management. Finally, many complained to the higher-ups in the BMC. Most pools owned by BMC are built with poor standards, as huge amounts have to be paid as bribes. The BMC charges ₹10,600 for Olympic-size pools and around ₹7,000 per annum for the semi-Olympic ones.’’

The pool was constructed when the Shiv Sena was controlling the BMC, and now the Shiv Sena UBT MLC, Vilas Potnis, was the first one to protest last week. Speaking to HT Potnis said, “We protested about the poor quality of work. We have demanded action and an FIR against the contractor and to blacklist him.”

While the local MLA, Prakash Surve, said, “It should have been done in a better way. We have given a proposal for repairs, and it will be passed soon,’’

The groundbreaking ceremony of the pool was done by Shiv Sena UBT MLA Sunil Prabhu in 2013, and BMC spent eight crore. The pool was inaugurated by Devendra Fadnavis when he was the chief minister in 2015.

“We will replace tiles on the deck and inside the pool,” Sameer Patkar, pool manager, said. “It may take two months to repair. Many of the members had cuts, and they protested. The pool is almost seven years old, and wear and tear does take place.”