The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is planning to privatise the swimming pools and give them to private contractors for a period of five years. The Municipal Commissioner who wrote to the to the standing committee said the existing and the upcoming swimming pools in Ahmedabad will be given to a private contractor for five years.
The case has sparked off concerns among the ruling as well as the opposition parties.
"When such work is introduced to a standing committee, it comes via proper subordinate committee. However, this work has been introduced by a letter of the commissioner. Also, no tenders were floated and, it is likely, that one person will get the contract," a BJP member said on condition of anonymity.
"The letter also proposes to increase in the monthly, quarterly and half-yearly and annual fees. Also. it says that the contract be given to a private player. Notably, the AMC has repaired the swimming pools by spending crores over the last two years," former leader of opposition Badruddin Shaikh said.
Earlier, such a proposal was put before the standing committee to be given to some schools. However, the proposal was dropped after much uproar. When the Sardar Patel stadium was given to a private player, there were protests and. later, it was decided that the private player can operate for a few hours in the noon.
