Ten more open-air gyms are in the offing for Bhubaneswar. Going by the success of these facilities at parks in the Capital City, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) is planning to set up 10 additional open-air gyms where people can avail the services free of cost, within this year.
With exercise turning a fitness mantra and gym points remaining beyond affordability of common people, the free of cost open-air offer has been lapped up by the health enthusiasts.
In fact, with lifestyle diseases affecting people across all age groups, they have a newfound reason to wake up early and head for the neighbourhood park.
The initiative has also helped the civic body spread health awareness among the people. A few months back, the BDA had inaugurated open-air gyms at Buddha Jayanti Park at Niladri Vihar, Biju Patnaik Park at Unit VI, Guru Kelucharan Park at Gadakana, Madhusudan Park at Pokhariput, Kharavela Park at Khandagiri, Indira Gandhi Park on Sachivalaya Marg, Dharma Vihar Park, Unit VIII Park, Harekrushna Mahatab Park near Arts Block of BJB Autonomous College and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Park near Utkal University in the city.
Ten to 12 gym equipment have been set up at each park at an estimated cost of Rs. 9.55 lakh. Each of these gyms is equipped with air walkers, sit-up benches, air swings, twisters, gliders, spinners, parallel bars and weights. They are being maintained by a private agency which has been selected by the BDA.
On an average, at least 500 people visit each gym daily. The number of visitors gets doubled during holidays in centrally located parks such as the Biju Patnaik Park and the Buddha Jayanti Park.
Shitendra Baliarsingh, a management professional who visits Buddha Park at Niladri Vihar regularly, said, "Not many people can afford going to the gym. So this is a step in the right direction. The gymming facilities are free of cost, which attracts people," he added.
Lina Samal, an engineer, believes that prevention is always better than cure. "Open air gym is an easy mode of preventing lifestyle diseases wherein one does not need to invest a lot of money unlike the regular gyms," she said Lina said many young women suffering from diseases such as arthritis are benefiting from the gyms. These parks are attracting everyone from teenagers to homemakers, she added.
However, maintenance of the gymming equipment has remained a concern. Locals using these facilities opine that the equipment, usually made of iron, should be covered with overhead roofing as they are being exposed to dust and rain, which is resulting in rusting and damage.
Chief Horticulturist of BDA Ashokananda Dhar said with the growing demand for open air gymnasium, the civic body has decided to set up the facility in 10 more parks this year. He added that the BDA has also undertaken an impact assessment study on the initiative recently and the report has been encouraging. The crowded open air gyms in the parks are an indication that the Smart City is now also on its way to become a healthy city.