The Lonavla municipal council has received over 80 applications to legalise swimming pools in private tourist villas, said officials.
As per the recent report, there are at least 995 swimming pools in private tourist villas in Lonavla, and a majority of them are illegal. The municipal council has issued notices to owners seeking necessary documents.
Many private villas and bungalows in Lonavla, a popular hill station, attract tourists during holidays. Most of these tourists arriving from Mumbai, Pune and Nashik prefer to book these villas which have private pools, some of them not following all safety standards.
According to local restauranters and private villa owners, this year, the Diwali rush has been more with most places booked from Tuesday onwards. Officials said the local authorities however have been keeping a watch to prevent any untoward incident.
Pandit Patil, chief officer of Lonavla municipal council, said, “Recent incidents of deaths at swimming pools at private villas have raised safety concerns.”
“We have issued notices to owners and asked them to produce necessary documents. To date, we have received over 80 applications to legalise such pools.’’ After scrutinising all documents, we will decide on it, Patil added.
On July 13, a two-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool at a private bungalow in Lonavla.
{{/usCountry}}On July 13, a two-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool at a private bungalow in Lonavla.
{{/usCountry}}In another incident, a 13-year-old boy died of electrocution while coming out of the swimming pool. The incident took place on July 28 this year.
Officials said, considering the high rent for such bungalows, many owners constructed swimming pools without taking proper permission and following safety norms.
The council has appealed to people to check the necessary safety measures while renting out such villas.