We have no open air gyms here

Corporation says it is looking for a suitable site in Thiruverumbur

Patronage to the open air gyms continues to go up in the city and the Tiruchi City Corporation plans to open a few more gyms. But, residents of Thiruverumbur feel that they have been let down in this aspect.

The Corporation got its first open gym at Puthur near the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital about a year ago. It shot into fame within no time with the people mainly women and youngsters visiting in large number.

The open gym then gradually spread its wings to ten other locations. It has come up at Yogalakshmi Nagar and Kalmettu Street in Srirangam, Central Bus Stand, Chinnasamy and Mahatma Gandhi Park, Thillai Nagar Park, Kattur and Burma Colony.

The Anna Nagar link road too has an open gym. Besides facilities for brisk walk, the gyms have leg thigh exerciser, push and pull chair, elliptical exerciser, single pole rowing, chest press, Tai Chi wheel, big wheel, AB trainer, twister, pull up bar, parallel up bar, Roman rings and fitness equipment.

Almost all of them receive good patronage particularly in the evenings and weekends and public holidays.

But, there are complaints that they have been established mainly in Cantonment, Thillai Nagar, Puthur and Srirangam areas.

The residential localities and colonies in far-away and interior places have been left out in the map of open gyms. Residents of Thiruverumbur, which was one among the newly added areas with the Tiruchi City, say that none of the residential colonies have been provided with open gym.

“We feel that the newly added wards from 61 to 65 have been neglected on various aspects of civic infrastructure. At least one open gym should have been established in our area. The officials only tend to create more facilities in developed residential colonies in Cantonment and Thillai Nagar,” said M. Wilfred, a resident of Thiruverumbur.

When contacted, a senior official of the Tiruchi Corporation said that it has been looking for a suitable site in Thiruverumbur. The delay was due to space constrains and there was no other reasons. A suitable location would be identified immediately to set up an open gym.

Source