ymnasiums in the city seem to make a commentary on the lopsided development that often characterises urban spaces. Greater Chennai Corporation maintains 101 gymnasiums, and the majority of these facilities are concentrated in certain pockets of the city. 141 of the 200 wards in the city don’t have gymnasiums.
In some parts of the city, the civic body has been unable to establish gymnasiums due to resistance from residents. Their objection is born of a fear that gymnasiums would invite youngsters and that could lead to disturbances in the area.
In other cases, buildings constructed by the civic body in residential areas for housing gymnasiums have been redeveloped and utilised for other purposes.
“A building constructed for a gymnasium with funds from the ward development scheme has been converted into a hospital. Residents were scared that youth would throng the area and create nuisance,” said P. V. Tamil Selvan, councillor of Mogappair.
Currently, Corporation engineers at the ward level maintain these gymnasiums without much help from trained personnel of the civic body’s Stadium department, which is in charge of the upkeep of gymnasiums.
Qualified sports administrators are yet to play a role in the maintenance of gymnasiums in the city. The civic body is yet to have dedicated gym inspectors. Six playground inspectors and 52 labourers, who maintain playgrounds, man the facilities instead, which is a contributory factor in the poor maintenance of the gymnasiums.
A proposal for an MoU between the civic body and the Sports Authority of India to improve the facilities in gymnasiums failed to take off.
Another MoU was signed a few years ago between the Corporation and suppliers of gym equipment.
In the aftermath of this, the civic body procured equipment worth Rs.35 lakh for each of the major gymnasiums. Officials said that the suppliers, who were also tasked with maintaining the equipment as per the terms of the MoU, failed to do so.
Representatives of sportspersons in the city noted that the Greater Chennai Corporation had a lot of playgrounds and spaces for recreational activity.
They stressed the need for a complete revamp of the facilities with a right combination of engineering skills and sports administration to revive gymnasiums.
Officials say gyms could not be set up in some places due to opposition from residents
