BENGALURU: A story published by us on May 29, recounted the woes of residents from Kumara Park (West), who had waited for more than a year for an open-air gym to be installed in their local park.
The residents had told City Express that after their long wait, the open-air gym was inaugurated on May 7, after which, the very next day, the equipment was taken down on account of it being shaky and poorly fixed to the ground.
On Wednesday, manufacturers of the gym equipment phoned in to inform that their equipment was not faulty.
“The issue does not have anything to do with the products installed, and is related to the civil work carried out by the contractor employed by the corporator of the project... Our role is limited to the supply and installation, civil work does not fall under the scope of our work. It is the corporator’s responsibility to maintain the integrity of the concrete,” they said in a written statement.
The civil work referred to is the concrete that was laid before the equipment is installed, and this was done badly, according to the equipment manufacturers.
When we contacted the corporator Sampath Kumar, he too said the contractor was at fault, but for not telling the residents to refrain from using the gym till the cement had set.
“After laying the cement and installing the equipment, the contractors had gone away for lunch. In the meantime, people had come and used the gym before the cement had set. Usually, people should wait for at least a week before using the equipment, and that's why all of it had to be dismantled and reassembled,” said Kumar.
The contractor, on the other hand, said the public is fault. “When we laid the cement the first time, we didn't demarcate at the area with rope. We just told the watchman in the park to warn people from using the equipment. The men laying the cement took off for lunch, and in the meantime, the public came and used it,” said Chalapathi, from the contractor company that did work on the park.
Chalapathi further said that the public doesn't listen and that's why the equipment was used before it was ready. He added that now the work has been done again and the area has been sectioned off. He said that, in a few days, it will be open to the public. Chitra Venkatesh, Kumara Park (West) RWA secretary, said, “If the equipment was not to be used by the public, the contractors should have blocked off the area or put up a sign board. We assumed that because the gym was inaugurated, it was ready to use.”