Ghaziabad seals pool where youth drowned

Ghaziabad: The swimming pool where a 25-year-old man drowned earlier this week has been sealed by the district sports office, even as officials said the facility had obtained an NOC only a few days before the incident.Gautam Budh Nagar resident Shantanu Thakur drowned at the Royal Swimming Pool in Dasna on May 26. The premises will remain shut while a probe into the incident is underway.During the inspection on Wednesday, officials drained the swimming pool and checked safety arrangements at the facility. Equipment such as life jackets, oxygen cylinders, first aid boxes, fire extinguishers, swimming tubes and changing rooms were found at the site, officials said.“The pool has been locked and the operator has been strictly instructed not to run the facility under any circumstances until the inspection process is completed,” district sports officer (DSO) Abhishek Kumar told TOI.The pool had received its NOC from authorities only a few days ago, raising questions over safety compliance and operational oversight after the fatal incident.Officials said the department is now scrutinising all documents submitted by the pool operator while obtaining permission from the sports department, including certificates of lifeguards deployed at the facility.“We are specifically verifying whether the certificates of lifeguards submitted with the permission file are genuine or merely forged documents used to complete formalities. Often, experienced and certified lifeguards are shown on paper, while untrained persons are actually deployed at the ground level,” Kumar said, adding that strict legal action would follow if any irregularities are found.According to officials, more than 200 pools are currently operating in the district, but only around 90 have valid registration or permission from the sports department. The sports department has intensified inspections across the district, including pools in housing societies.“Teams will conduct inspections in different areas and societies. If any swimming pool is found operating without permission, its water will be drained and the facility will be shut. Other safety and operational standards will also be checked,” Kumar added.As per sports directorate norms, every swimming pool must obtain prior operational permission, deploy certified lifeguards, install filtration plants running at least four hours daily, maintain emergency oxygen cylinders and artificial respiration equipment, and appoint trained swimming coaches, preferably national or state-level players.The DSO has also directed all swimming pool operators in Ghaziabad to register their facilities immediately, warning that legal action would be initiated against those operating without registration or required permissions.Police and administrative authorities are separately looking into the circumstances surrounding the drowning, officials added.