Summer it is! The turqoiuse color of the swimming pool water is absolutely one of the best relief to counter the sweltering heat. Splashes, diving, floats,is what one can enjoy at the mega sports complex, Khelgaon.
Providing swimming facility to general residents of Ranchi make this camp unique in itself in a city where such facility is available just to the members of particular clubs. Above 200 registrations in its first month show the craze for swimming for sure, but there are several hitches attached with the wonderful exercise.Swimmers and officials related to the sport complain of lack of basic facilities that are must for a swimming camp at Khelgaon. They also say the fees for the camp is much higher for an aspirant swimmer belonging to a modest economical background.
22-year-old Rupsa of National University for Study and Reserch in law (NUSRl), Ranchi, who comes to the swimming camp regularly entails her concerns. According to her, there was no water to take a shower at times, which was an essential part of swimming. She twice had to rush back to her house without taking a shower. “There is also no canteen facility at the complex, swimming is a tiring exercise, after which one unquestionably wants to munch over something, but there is availability of foods at all,” added Rupsa.
Secretary of Jharkhand State Swimming Association, Shailendra Tiwary expressed his disappointment towards the administration of the mega sports complex.According to Tiwary, the swimming pools at Khelgaon is principally there for enhancing the talent of swimmers, for encouraging the spirit of sportsmanship, but the administration is busy making money out of it.“The amount charged for month training is around Rs2,000 which a youngster from a poor upbringing will not be able to pay and also spending Rs1,500-1,600 just as the travelling expenses as the sports complex lies on the outskirts of the city seems moreover ill-advised,” Tiwary added.
The camp or the swimming complex also doesn’t have a locker room and also there is no water storage facility, which creates problems for the swimmers coming to the camp. They keep their bags, bottles, slippers just near the pool. The swimming complex, even though has three huge swimming pools, but for now only one is brought into use. Assistant coach, Ram Prasad Sahu, mentions, “The second pool will be opened from this month once these beginners learn swimming, but the third pool no way seems to be brought in use.”
The swimming camp organised last year was much cheaper than this year. With a substancial increase in the registration fees, no special facility has been provided to the swimmers. The Government just by building a sports complex won’t just excel in the sports. low maintenance like life jackets are not being used, there is no pull boy shows the lack of Government interest.
Senior Coach, JP Das mentioned that the quantity of swimmers would eventually increase with the increase of facilities provided to the swimmers. “The craze has of course risen in comparison to last year, but yes, we do receive such complaints from our students and their parents,” he said.
