Last month, the MCG had announced that it would be setting up open-air gyms in parks across the city. However, the one open-air gym that MCG had set up way back in 2016 has fallen out of favour. Two years ago, the civic body had built an open-air gym in a park in Sector 44. The park and gym were operational barely for a few months, residents tell us. After that, the space was encroached upon by slum dwellers and roadside handicraft sellers. Today, even though the board proclaiming 'Open Gym & Park' proudly stands on the site, it is ironically flanked by several makeshift handicraft and furniture shops. Ashok, a seller in the 'market', tells us, "This market has existed in different locations for several years. Beech mein ek baar yahan park mein kuch machines lagi thi, tab hum log kuch time ke liye peeche chale gaye thay. Par koi aata nahi that toh humne phir dukaan yahin laga di .”The gym was built and inaugurated during the Green Haryana movement in 2016 but nearby residents have no memory of ever using the park or the gym, which they say, have almost always been encroached upon by this mini market. Ravi Khanna, a South City 1 resident, says, “There was quite a lot of publicity when the gym was inaugurated in 2016, but a couple of months later, when I first decided to go down there, I found it had already been taken over by these sellers, and they have been here ever since.” There were about half a dozen machines installed at the gym but today, only one of them is left standing, and that too is unusable given the encroachment . Sunita Singh, a Sector 44 resident, says, “Many of the other machines broke down over time as there was no maintenance. We presume that they were taken apart by scrap dealers after that. The market has now become a daily thing. Earlier, it was still not that regular so the gym was somewhat accessible. However, despite that, I have never seen it being used.”The park and gym were operational for a few months before it was encroached upon by slum dwellers and roadside handicraft sellersResidents say they are skeptical of the authorities’ intent to open more such gyms in the city, given the condition of this one. Sarika Panda, a Sector 47 resident, says, “The concept was okay but the execution in this gym was wrong. Open air gyms need to be in parks in sectors and residential colonies, not at the side of the road like this one. Then, there need to be instructors at these parks or at least someone to maintain and watch over them. I hope the MCG can correct that now, otherwise all the other gyms will have the same fate.” Gurgaon’s NCR neighbours, Delhi and Noida, have several open air gyms, all of which have instructors and guards watching over them throughout the day.Even though the gym was built by the MCG and on paper, is also maintained by the civic body, officials do not wish to comment on why the park and gym lie in such dilapidated and neglected condition. “We have received complaints from nearby residents that the gym and park are not usable because of encroachment and we are looking into the matter. The issue will be resolved and repairs will be made to the machines there in due time,” says an official from the MCG.

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