Hyderabad: Clandestine pool snuffed out boy’s life, owner held

Hyderabad: A day after a 10-year-old boy drowned in an illegal swimming pool, which ran right under the nose of civic officials for three years, at Samathapuri Colony in Chaitanyapuri, authorities swung into action and arrested Blue Fab swimming pool owner. Civic officials also sealed the facility. Ironically, the boy, who did not know swimming, drowned in the pool while his family members were nearby.
Chaitanyapuri police on Monday arrested Blue Fab swimming pool owner Ashok Kumar and he was sent in judicial remand.
M Manoj, 10, son of Viswanath, a mason, and Renuka, a housewife from Lingampally, went to his maternal uncle's house at Chaitanyapuri. On Sunday afternoon, Renuka along with Manoj and other family members went to Blue Fab swimming pool at Samathapuri Colony near Nagole.
While the elders were busy, Manoj told his mother that he would pick up a swimming tube from the pool side and get into the water. However, instead of using a swim tube, Manoj jumped into the pool when his family members were not watching him. The staff of the pool also did not notice the boy drowning in the pool, Chaitanyapuri inspector B Ravi Kumar said.
Based on the complaint of the family, a case was registered under Section 304-a of the IPC against the pool management. Meanwhile, family members of the boy staged a protest in front of the pool demanding compensation. They alleged that the management’s negligence resulted in the accident as they cite that no safety tubes were given to the boy to practice or learn in the deep water. Police pacified them and sent them away after assuring that they would ensure proper legal action against the offender.
In a related development, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials on Monday sealed Blue Fab swimming pool.
Speaking to the media, GHMC deputy director (Sports) Sukesh Reddy explained that the swimming pool did not have any appropriate permissions and informed that it was the first time the civic body came to know about the existence of the place after the incident on Sunday.
“The swimming pool was being run by the management for the past three years without any permission and it never came to our notice,” Sukesh Reddy said.
GHMC officials said that anyone operating a public swimming pool must take permission through their online portal. Officials would then inspect the premises and check if all safety and sanitation measures were in place and then would provide an operational permit.