Bhubaneswar, July 12: The health and family welfare department's plan to promote yoga by setting up state-of-the-art yoga wellness centres in various parts of the city is stuck in limbo.
The health department under the umbrella of Ayush (ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) Mission had decided to set up the city's first such centre at Kalinga Stadium in 2015.
However, the facility is yet to see the light of the day, allegedly because of funds crunch.
Sources said there were problems in project approval and funds sanction, which resulted in subsequent delay in implementing the same.
"We have proposed to set up the centre under Ayush and submitted the report to the governments. It was sanctioned by the state. But the project files are gathering dust at the Centre," said an official of the department.
Newly appointed director of Ayush Gopabandhu Satpathy said that though he was yet to trace the files, he was aware of the project.
"I will take up the matter with the state government again and try to resume the project shortly," said Satpathy, adding that it would be one of its kind in the state.
Satpathy said the wellness centre would cater to the need of quality training of yoga and meditation to the citizens. "After approval of the project report, we will start hiring yoga teachers and undertake awareness drive to popularise the centre. People will be immensely benefited by the wellness centres," said Satpathy.
The government has also planned to set up such centres at five major parks in the city, mainly those operated by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority. The parks are Buddha Jayanti Park at Niladri Vihar, Madhusudan Park at Pokhariput, Jayadev Vatika at Khandagiri, Robot Park at Saheed Nagar and Biju Patnaik Park at Unit-VI.
At present, yoga is being practised at almost all the parks of the city in the morning and evening hours. Many yoga gurus can be found with their students trying various yoga postures at the parks.
"However, there is a need for a facility where yoga will be taught in a professional way. The present practice of yoga in various parks is not at all safe since many yoga teachers are not aware even about the basics of the art," said Nrusingha Charan Biswal, a yoga teacher at Old Town.
