Student drowns in swimming pool

BANGALORE: On Monday evening, final-year BBM student Chandrashekhar Nagesh, 21, drowned in a swimming pool in Thanisandra, Sampigehalli.
A day earlier, a 26-year-old banker drowned in the Best Club swimming pool off Mysore Road, Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
Chandrashekhar, a resident of DJ Halli and student of Lal Bahadur College in RT Nagar, entered the pool which was over 10 ft deep around 4pm.
His father Nagesh filed a complaint accusing the swimming pool management of negligence. According to him, there were no lifeguards around. "Had the management deployed divers, my son would have lived," Nagesh told Sampigehalli police.
Police suspect the youth did not know swimming.
The pool is reportedly owned by Venkat Mari and is attached to his Sandalwood studio and said to a favourite shooting locales for Kannada film units.
Sampigehali police said they found no life jackets or tubes in the pool. This is the second death here since 2009. Police booked a case of negligence against Venkat Mari and are looking for the manager.
A watchman let Chandrashekar into the pool after collecting Rs 30. "I'm asked to collect Rs 30 from each person who comes for a swim. I hand over the money to Venkat at the end of the day," the guard reportedly told police. DCP (north-east) G Ramesh told TOI, "The pool has a BBMP permit and but it's a private pool."
Pools forbidden territory for BBMP
Swimming is a gaining popularity as a pastime and sport. It has also encouraged the enterprising to invest a few lakh rupees and open swimming pools for interested public. The BBMP has failed to arm itself with required mandate to regulate private swimming pools.
A BBMP spokesperson confirmed that swimming pools are not listed in trade categories requiring a licence. BBMP chief engineer BT Ramesh said: "In case a swimming pool is being built on private property, the plan comes to us for approval. We check and give permission."