33 private swimming pools identified as "unlicensed"

“Most of the defaulters are reputed schools. It is very difficult to take action against them in a hurry,” said a police officer in the department. According to sources at the licensing department “the process of regularising these swimming pools will take at least about three months. It may also happen that once summer is over, authorities lose interest and the whole thing dies down.”

However, this cannot undermine the fact that unlicensed pools can be dangerous as they do not meet the prescribed requirements deemed necessary for the safety of the swimmers. Whether they have a qualified life-guard and a medical officer present at the pool premises has not been verified by the Sports Authority of India. An unlicensed pool also does not have a clearance from either the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, NDMC or the area police. The water quality of the pool remains unchecked.

However, the flip side is that pool-owners complain that the whole procedure of obtaining a license for a pool is so complicated that they would rather not get involved in it. Licensing officers also admit to the red tape involved: “There are many houses in Punjabi Bagh which have private pools.

But none of them have obtained licenses because they do not want to waste their time running to various departments, chatting to clerks, having tea with them and finally obtaining the license,” a senior police officer said.

Police claim that another reason private pool owners do not obtain licenses is because they are unaware of it.

“Many rich people who have pools at home are not aware of the necessary paper work. They have the resources so they construct a pool at home but beyond that they don’t really care,” police said.