KMC bats for a fitter Kolkata with open air gyms in city parks

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will now set up open air gyms in parks wherever there is availability of space. An open air gym, that has been opened at Rajnandini Park on Jyotish Roy Road in New Alipore, has already become extremely popular.

"Residents hailing from the lower-middle class find it difficult to go to private gyms and sweat it out because of financial stringency and lack of time. Morning and evening walkers who visit the parks can work out if we can make arrangements for open air gyms free of cost. It will also save time," Debasish Kumar, Member, Mayor-in-Council (MMiC) (Parks and Gardens) Debasish Kumar said.

According to sources in KMC's Parks and Gardens department, the idea of open air gym had cropped up in the mind of Kumar, when he went to a flower show at Rajnandini Park recently.

His colleague MMiC (Drainage) Tarak Singh, who is also the councillor of Ward 118, has set up an open air gym in the park with his own initiative, by roping in some businessmen in the area. Kumar was attracted by the facilities and the excitement among the people in the area regarding the gym.

Sources in the Parks and Square department said that they have been directed to explore places in parks under KMC where the infrastructure of such a gym can be put into place.

"We will not be able to run gym equipment which are driven by electricity. But we can have some of the machines for light workouts, like waist twister, multi twister, chest press, twist stepper, health walker etc., that do not need electricity," an official of KMC's Parks and Gardens department said.

It may be mentioned that KMC maintains as many as 720 parks in the city, spanning across its 144 wards.