The refurbished skating rink near the VOC Park that the Coimbatore Corporation has kept locked for over a year. | Photo Credit: S. SIVA SARAVANAN more-in The Coimbatore Corporation-run skating rink near the VOC Park is closed. It has been so for over a year-and-a-half now, after it initiated measures to rebuild the rink. Skaters say the Corporation completed the work more than six months ago but was yet to unlock the gates. This has forced them to skate on roads and service lanes by compromising on the quality of practice and safety. The skaters, close to 300, have been practising on the streets ever since the Corporation took up the work over a year-and-a-half ago for ?40 lakh or so after a resolution in December 2015. When the children practised on the road leading to CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex, Avinashi Road and a few other roads, it was the parents who would shield them from traffic, dog chase and other hindrances, said parents D. Balasundaram and P. Punitha. Skating on uneven surfaces meant that the skaters lost speed, and sometimes suffered injuries, they said. Their children Tarun Aditya, Ashwin Kumar and several skaters like them from Coimbatore had won medals at State, South Zone and national events. The parents said that they wanted the Corporation to open the rink at the earliest because in the next few months their children would be participating in zonal and national meets. Sources familiar with the development said there was no reason for the Corporation to delay the inauguration, the least of which was for dates from the Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani to inaugurate the facility. Corporation engineers in the Central Zone said the Corporation was yet to clean the premises and only senior engineers in the head office would decide on the date of inauguration. Engineers in the head office in Town Hall said the issue was not brought to their notice but they would nevertheless take steps for an early reopening.

Stay updated with all the Coimbatore Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.