Second large swimming pool of the state

 

COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 16: A swimming pool of international standard is going to come up in Tufanganj of Cooch Behar. It will be the second of is kind in the state. Total cost of the project is estimated to Rs 1.29-crore. As work is going on in full swing the chairman of Tufanganj Municipality Mr Subhas Chandra Bhawal hoped that the swimming pool might be operational by the end of this year.

 

Plans for making of the proposed swimming pool was taken in 2003. A local tank was selected for the purpose to convert it into a ten-lane swimming pool. A lottery draw was organised to make a fund for buying the tank and its adjoining land to start the initial work.

 

Mr Bhawal said the 3.5-bigha waterbody having 50-metre length and 25.5-metre width is situated at Ward No. 8 along Tufanganj-Dariabalai road. State sports department already sanctioned a large sum of money for implementation of the project. Cooch Behar MP (Rajya Sabha) Mr Tarini Roy, Alipurduar MP (Lok Sabha) Mr Joachim Buxla and local MLAs extended assistance from their Local Area Development funds. Tufanganj Municipality, Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad, Tufanganj-II Panchayat Samity and local Gram Panchayats too extended financial assistance.

 

Concrete casting of the tank's bottom and main platform started on Sunday and it will take more than one hundred hours to complete the job. Sabhadhipati of Tufanganj-II Panchayat Samity Mr Radheshyam Adhikary and civic body's chairman Mr Bhawal initiated the work that will not stop till completion. Former district engineer of Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad Mr Dwijen Roy and others are supervising the work. Mr Bhawal said the swimming pool may be completed for use by the end of this year but it will take more time to make it completed in all respect.

 

Tufanganj SDO Mr Sudip Mitra said once completed it will be possible for organising big and international standard swimming competitions here. There will be facilities for learners too at the swimming pool complex. Different water sports like Water Polo may also be played here. Holding of large competitions here may also be helpful in improving the local economic situation, he opined.

 

Aiming to make the new facility an effective one a Swimming Pool Management and Consultant Committee was formed with the district magistrate Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha as its chairman. []

 

RSP committee

 

COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 16: Mr Gopal Chaki was elected secretary of RSP's Cooch Behar district committee. The 21-member district committee was formed on the concluding day of the party's district conference in Cooch Behar yesterday in presence of state social welfare minister Mr Biswanath Chaudhury. A 13-member district secretariat of the party was also formed on the occasion. []