Private members filling up Kamgar swimming pool: Labourers

Members also alleged that the sports ground is routinely rented out for weddings, political rallies and religious functions, reducing the space available for sports

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Labour Welfare Board has been accused of ignoring its primary beneficiaries by allowing private operators and commercial events to dominate sports facilities at its Prabhadevi-Parel headquarters.

Members alleged that only around 30% of the 50-metre indoor swimming pool is available to labourers after lanes are allocated for private operations.

Regular users of the board’s sports complex, Kamgar Krida Bhavan, have claimed that labourers are receiving limited access to amenities meant for their welfare.

According to Satish Ankam, a regular swimmer and family member of a labourer, only around 30% of the 50-metre indoor swimming pool is available to labourers after lanes are allocated for private operations.

“The swimming pool is operated by a private contractor, and labourers are left with just a fraction of the space. We have repeatedly protested, but nothing has changed,” Ankam said.

Members also alleged that the sports ground is routinely rented out for weddings, political rallies and religious functions, reducing the space available for sports. They claimed that the installation of artificial turf and extended bookings for event preparation further limit access for local users.

Another regular member, requesting anonymity, alleged that facilities for table tennis, badminton and gymnastics are largely run by private operators and cater mainly to private members. “The board appears to prefer private members because they pay higher fees. The ground is also rented out for commercial events for longer than the permitted period,” the member said.

The sports complex, spread over more than an acre, serves as the headquarters of the Labour Welfare Board and offers subsidised sports facilities to workers across the state. Employees contribute ₹50 towards the welfare fund, while labourers pay an annual fee of ₹1,300 for swimming pool access and ₹2,000 for family members. Private members, on the other hand, have to pay ₹15,000 annually.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu raised the matter in a letter to the state labour department, saying, “The Maharashtra Labour Welfare Board gets ₹400 crore from the contribution of labourers ( ₹50), state government ( ₹50) and establishments ( ₹150), despite which only 10% of the 60 lakh labourers benefit from these sports activities. The swimming pool at Parel is one of the examples.”

Responding to the allegations, labour welfare commissioner Bhaskar Morade said the board had met with regular users and submitted a report to the government to ensure that sports activities were not significantly affected by commercial bookings.

“We rent out the ground only for specific days and continue to organise state-level sports competitions, including kabaddi. Our priority is to provide labourers and their families with maximum access to the facilities,” Morade said.

In response to complaints about restricted swimming space, Morade said regular users had been asked to accommodate state- and national-level swimmers training at the facility under Olympian Virdhawal Khade.

Mohammed Ahmed, a pool manager representing the private contractor, Sportiqo, said, “It is not about labourer or non-labourer. The lanes have been segregated for swimmers and non-swimmers to avoid accidents. After all, the swimmers who participate in state- and club-level competitions represent the Maharashtra Labour Welfare Board and have done well in recent swimming competitions. Considering the complaints from the labourers, we have also increased the timing for them.”

A spokesperson for the Labour Welfare Board said the organisation was working to ensure that labourers accounted for more than 50% of participants in welfare activities, including sports, drama competitions, pre-primary schools and sewing classes.