With the fitness of their offspring topping their priorities, parents are making a beeline to enrol their children for swimming lessons.

But most of the swimming pools that have been constructed across the city in the past few years to cater to the sudden spurt in demand do not follow the basic guidelines.

Till late on Monday evening, there was no confirmation of the reason behind the death of Juri Chakrabarty, who drowned in the Tallah Sports Ally Club pool where she went for daily swimming practice, but her death has once again brought into focus the issue of guidelines for swimming pools.

“I send my kid to swim under the impression that she is in safe hands. The coaches and the trainer are there. But this drowning makes us wonder if our trust in the club is misplaced or not,” said Tapati Ghosal whose daughter swims in Young Men’s Christian Association club in College Square. “I can only accompany my child up to the pool but I cannot go into the pool. Once inside the pool, the trainers are responsible for their safety.”

According to the rules, the length of the pool should not be less than 50 metres. The trainers should be qualified and there should be watchers posted around the pool to keep an eye on all those being trained.

But a number of factors, ranging from cost constraint to lack of awareness, force the pool authorities to compromise on certain services.

If the floor is slippery in certain pools, in others the water is contaminated or there are no professional trainers.

“We try to follow all the guidelines. There are professional trainers who provide lessons in the pool. But we cannot provide services on a par with exclusive clubs because we charge a nominal fee for the entire season. But we do not compromise on safety,” said an official of College Square Swimming Club. In May 2003, Sandip Panda, 12, drowned at the College Square swimming pool.

Exactly a year earlier, Pooja Jalan, 16, drowned at Azad Bagh Swimming Pool in Hedua.

Police said they have already asked the clubs and pool authorities to keep a record of everyone when he or she is being trained, including the date and time.

If a pool does not follow the guidelines, a case of negligence may be initiated against the authorities, subject to investigation.