Outdoor gyms need better maintenance

TIRUCHI

Outdoor gyms, launched in the city in 2018 with the aim of promoting a more active lifestyle, have slowly become dysfunctional with broken equipment being a major problem.

“The constant exposure to the elements has made the machines rusty and damaged. The authorities have to take steps to repair them and perhaps provide the gyms with some kind of roofing to prevent corrosion,” Manoj Dharmar of Shine Treechy, told The Hindu.

Once a popular place for families and senior citizens to gather in residential areas, these outdoor gyms were also a means to deter public littering. There are over 40 such facilities, both in standalone format and inside public parks in Tiruchi.

However, with many people staying indoors during the COVID-19 lockdown, the gyms lost out on visitors.

The fitness equipment has become rusted and in some cases, parts have fallen off, making it a safety hazard.

The long-term maintenance of the gyms is being considered as a shared responsibility between the authorities and the residents of the area.

“The residents welfare associations and social clubs in the vicinity, besides corporate companies, could pitch in to maintain the gyms as a community property. This could include having a team to carry out repairs and appoint security personnel to stop vandals destroying it. We are however looking into the issues as they are pointed out, and dealing with them in a phased manner,” said a Corporation official.