Enrollment for twelve aquatic facilities in Chandigarh is set to commence on April 1st

The sports department at UT has initiated the commencement of registration for twelve swimming pools in anticipation of the forthcoming summer session, starting on April 1st. These pools are anticipated to commence operations by the middle of the subsequent month.

All pertinent officials have received their posting orders from the department. With the exception of the facilities at Lake Sports Complex and Sector 23 (Nursery), a singular official will oversee all other facilities. A team comprising two coaches, nine lifeguards, and three boatmen will manage the pools spread across the city.

Dr. Sunil Rayat, Joint Director of the UT Sports Department, affirmed, “We are prepared with the swimming pools, and registration will commence on April 1st.”

Last year, following a reassessment of the decision to assign one official per pool, the department appointed a “linked” official for pools situated in Sector 8, Sector 34, Sector 39, Sector 43, Sector 50, and Sector 56. In the absence of the regular official, these “linked” officials were tasked with overseeing the respective pools to enhance operational efficiency.

During the previous year, the department deployed 18 officials to manage twelve swimming pools. Furthermore, six additional officials were recruited to ensure the presence of two officials at each center.

As per the latest directives, the pools will operate in two sessions per day. The morning session will cater to national/state-level trainees (6 am to 7 am), non-students (7 am to 8 am), and family time (8 am to 10 am). The evening session will commence with timings allocated for professional swimmers (4 pm to 5 pm), non-students (5 pm to 6 pm), and family time (6 pm to 8 pm).

The twelve pools encompass facilities such as Lake Sports Complex, the all-weather pool in Sector 23, the Nursery Pool in Sector 23, the Mani Majra complex, and facilities in Sectors 8, 27, 34, 38, 39, 43, 50, and 56. The sports department stands as the sole governmental entity in the region, boasting twelve swimming pools.

However, none of these facilities feature a full-fledged 50m Olympic-size pool. The city’s only 50m full-size (open) pool is situated at Panjab University.

During the previous winter session, the department extended the operating hours of its sole all-weather facility (Sector 23). For the first time, the pool remained accessible from 6 am to noon and from 2 pm to 6 pm (potentially extendable to 7 pm) on all working days. This marked the first instance of a local coaching center remaining open for such an extensive period annually, as the pool typically operated under limited hours (6 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 6 pm in winter).