The swimming pool under construction. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, April 1: Summer promises to be cooler this time with another swimming pool coming up in Siliguri.

The pool, the fourth in town, being constructed by the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) will be ready in four months.

“Construction started in October and we expect it to be complete by the end of July,” said Shankar Roy Choudhury, the superintendent engineer of the SJDA. “The estimated cost of the project is Rs 60 lakh, to be borne equally by the Kanchanjunga Stadium Committee and the SJDA.”

The pool is being constructed near the stadium on a plot of 12 cottah, provided by the committee. It consists of two sections — one for children and the other for adults. A 15-metre long and five-metre wide pool will be for the children, while the one meant for the seniors will be 25-metre long and 15-metre wide. Four pumping machines will be used to supply water after treatment. An administrative block, cafeteria, and dressing rooms will also be constructed on the campus.

The town has three swimming pools run by two hotels and a club. “But the new one will be managed by the committee and meant for the public,” said Bikash Ghosh, the Siliguri mayor and secretary of the committee.

Ghosh also hinted at the committee’s future plan. “Once it starts functioning and receives the anticipated response from residents, it can be developed into a pool of international standard,” he said. “We are yet to fix the rate for membership subscription.”

Mantu Ghosh, the coach for the North Bengal Table Tennis Association, welcomed the initiative. “Swimming has become an integral part of a player’s daily exercise. It will fill up the gap that existed in the field of sports in Siliguri,” she said.