BICHOLIM: The swimming pool and multi-purpose hall in Sankhali are in a state of complete disrepair. Built for the benefit of Sankhali residents during the Congress regime under former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane, the facilities are now largely neglected.
The gym within the hall, though located in a remote area, continues to charge fees despite malfunctioning equipment. After the complaints and representations since 2013, only the gym equipment was once replaced by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on August 24, 2019, when Manohar Azgaonkar was the Sports Minister. But due to lack of proper maintenance, the equipment too has broken down.
“This project was constructed for the benefit of Sankhali villager and operated free of cost, keeping in mind the needs of the youth. Today the swimming pool and the multipurpose hall is in a pitiable state. The wooden flooring has come off from all sides. There are no drinking water facilities, since the cooler is not working. The commodes are missing in the toilet. None of the equipment in the gymnasium are working properly,” Mangaldas Naik President, Sankhali Congress Block told O Heraldo.
The treadmill in the gym broke down about one year back. The Sankhali Congress block has given four representations for the repair of the swimming pool and the multipurpose hall since 2013. Part of the ceiling of the hall has collapsed. The swimming pool badly needs repairs.
“The gym does not have a washroom, there are no changing rooms and there are no other facilities, still they are charging fees. The window panes are broken, the curtains have come down. If we ask the incharge, he says he has notified the higher-ups regarding the repairs. A group of people have even given at least three representations to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is also the MLA of the Constituency. They had also asked for extension of the gym timing upto 10pm. They cannot even look after the maintenance of the infrastructure created by the Congress,” Naik said.
The electrical fuse boxes are lying open with wires hanging all around. The floor tiles are broken in places and covered with mats. The false ceiling in many places has come off and the blades of some of the fans are bent. The plywood and veneer of the racks has come off.
Village youth feel that the indoor stadium and swimming pool should be immediately repaired for their benefit to stay fit and to excel in sports, which government claims to be promoting proactively.