Bhubaneswar, Feb. 10: Residents of the city will shortly get another place to burn their extra calories as the civic body is coming up with a gymnasium at its community centre in Samantapuri.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation already has a gym running at Baulagada in Old Town. It has decided to expand the network of gymnasiums in the wake of the growing demand for such facilities among youngsters.

"Everyone, young or old, needs a gymnasium to stay fit and healthy. Most of us don't get time to workout every day because of our hectic work schedules. If the civic body sets up a gym, it would definitely be of help to all of us," said Santosh Mohanty, a resident of Old Town who works out at the BMC's gym here.

The proposed gymnasium at Samantapuri will come up over an area of 0.244 acres at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. The gymnasium project will be taken up in a public-private partnership mode. The private partner will supply the equipment and trainers.

"There is a need for a community centre in my ward. After consultation with the ward members, we have decided to put a proposal for a gymnasium-cum-community centre," said councillor of ward No.12 Sanjaya Kumar Sethy.

Sethy told The Telegraph that instead of seeking funds for traditional projects, such as drains and roads, councillors should turn their attention to setting up of facilities, such as gymnasiums and community centres. "We should look into demands of the people. The multipurpose structure will cater to the needs of youth who want to work out in gyms and also serve the purpose of those who need a community centre," added Sethy.

At present, Bhubaneswar has three gymnasiums run by the state government, including the one set up by the civic body in Old Town. The state sports and youth services department has a gym at Kalamandap Yoga Centre near Kalpana Square, while the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has recently opened a gym at Indira Gandhi Park here.

The BDA has also set up open-air gyms at Buddha Jayanti Park, Guru Kelucharan Park, Kharavela Park and Madhusudan Park. Recently, the BDA has decided to extend the facilities at five more parks, such as Indira Gandhi Park, Harekrushna Mahatab Park, Unit - 8 Park, Dharma Vihar Park and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Park.

A senior BDA official said that Rs 2.5 crore would be spent on setting up open-air gyms at the five parks.