A state-of-the art swimming pool of olympics standard has come up on the campus of St Aloysius College here.
The pool, built at an estimated cost of Rs 8.25 crore, promises to offer a different experience with the college authorities giving due importance to recycling of water with ozone water purification system.
Announcing this to media on Friday here, Principal Fr Swebert D’Silva said, “The pool will be inaugurated at 3.30 pm on December 19. Rev Fr Jerome Stanislaus D’Souza, provincial, Karnataka Jesuit Province will preside over the ceremony. Food and Civil Supplies Minister U T Khader, MLAs J R Lobo and K Abhayachandra Jain, Chief Whip of the government in Legislative Council Ivan D’Souza and Whip of the Opposition Party in the Council Captain Ganesh Karnik will be the chief guests.”
Fr D’Silva said the pool aims at imparting swimming skills to students, for whom it is imperative among other skills like Yoga, Karate to name a few. The pool will be open from 6 am to 8.45 pm. There are plans to conduct classes of 45-minute duration in different batches everyday. To ensure safety of the students, adequate number of life guards will be appointed. A retaining wall is built around the swimming complex to check students from trespassing the area, he said.
Elaborating on the pool, convener of the swimming pool committee N G Mohan said, “It is 25 metres wide and 50 metres long comprising eight lanes in line with the olympic standards. The minimum depth is four foot and maximum up to 12 foot. Besides, a baby pool or mini swimming pool is built with Rs 26 lakh donated by the St Aloysius College Alumni Association (SACAA). A gymnasium has also been built above the changing rooms. Of the total amount, UGC has provided Rs 1 crore, SACAA has given Rs 1.75 crore and the management has borne the remaining amount.”
Mohan said, “In most of the drowning cases reported in media in the recent past, the victims were unaware of swimming skills. The pool will surely address such requirements, aiming to bring down the number of such cases.”
It is a five-year-old plan which has been realised now, adding yet another facility to the august institution that has been in existence since 136 years. It can also host national and international level tournaments, Mohan said.
Fr Praveen Martis, director of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Kaushal Kendra at Aloysius campus said, “It has been planned to inaugurate the pool in a fitting manner. The students of the college, who have represented the state at national-level swimming tournaments, take a flap in the water.”
Open for public too
With yet another swimming pool in the city, St Aloysius College has been receiving enquiries suffice to gauge the demand. Not to disappoint them, plans are on the anvil to open the pool for public too, with entry fee.
Principal Fr Swebert D’Silva said, “We are aware of the demand and will definitely cater to them. But the entry fee remains to be fixed.”
Convener of swimming pool committee N G Mohan said, “The entry fee is essential to keep the pool as the maintenance cost is estimated at Rs 1.25 lakh per month.”