Bhubaneswar, March 15: The civic body will build a gymnasium especially for women in its bid to take another leap towards becoming a smart city.
on a trial basis first inside our
office. Women councillors and
women employees will have access
to it
Ananta Narayan Jena
mayor, Bhubaneswar
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has decided to procure the gym equipment and launch it first on its office premises.
If the women councillors and other women employees of the corporation evince interest in the same, the plan will be replicated in other parts of the city as well.
"The women councillors have been asking for such facilities for long. We have decided to have the gym on a trial basis first inside our office. Women councillors and women employees will have access to it. Later, it will be expanded to other wards," said Bhubaneswar mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.
Jena further said depending on the success of the office gym, the corporation would also have the facilities in each ward of the city.
"We already have two gyms in the city, but none of those are exclusively meant for women. Since they are interested in workout along with their regular work, it is our job to provide them opportunities for the same," said Jena.
At present, the civic body has been running one gym at Old Town and another at Samantapur. Besides, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority has one indoor gym outside the Indira Gandhi Park and 10 other open gyms at parks in various localities.
The city, however, has a few women-only private gyms. But, they charge more fees compared to the government ones.
"It is a good decision to introduce the all-women gyms in the city. They should not bother about its success, as it is never going to be a failure. We all are interested in workout at those facilities," said Vidya Mohanta, a private sector employee living in the city.
The open gyms, launched by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, proved to be a major success among men and women of all age groups.
"Open gyms are such a facility where we can workout right under the sky. It is a different experience, but there are certain facilities, which are not available with the open gyms. The indoor gyms would also give better options for workout with a trainer," said Preety Prada Mohanty, a college student.
