Parking of vehicles on road by members adds to traffic chaos in residential localities
Though gymnasiums enhance health of people, but their mushrooming in the city in recent years also has another dimension, ie nuisance in residential localities.
Furthermore, it may sound strange, but the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has not maintained any official record of such gyms in the winter capital, which by and large sans basic infrastructure, ventilated halls and parking space to mention a few.
One could easily find these gyms in lanes and bylanes of the capital city.
“Loud music churning out all sorts of vulgar songs, parking of cars and bikes that choke lanes and bylanes in the morning and evening not only create nuisance for the residents, but also affect daily routine work of office-goers and schoolchildren,” said Rahul Gupta, a banker.
Gupta said while traffic snarls on city roads were a common sight in Jammu, these gyms almost in every locality had compounded the problem.
“In the old city the problem is more. With a swarm of vehicles choking city roads completely, two-wheeler riders and car drivers switch over to lanes and by-lanes to find their way home, but vehicles of ‘fitness freaks’ parked outside various gyms add to their mental agony,” said Neeraj Sharma of Bakshi Nagar.
“Repeated requests to the gym owners and these fitness freaks fall on the deaf ears. They don’t even bother and the residents continue to suffer,” he added.
Sharma and several other residents, including housewives and college-going girls, felt that the JMC should seal such gyms the way it did in case of some banquet halls, which were found violating laws.
However, youth, who go to gyms “reasoned” that in the absence of parking space they had to park their bikes and cars in the lanes.
“We cannot afford to go to classy gyms as their monthly charges and security deposits are out of our reach. Small gyms in the old city do not charge any security deposit and also charge much less than these classy gyms,” said a group of youngsters.
Subah Mehta, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Jammu Municipal Corporation, admitted that a number of health clubs and gyms have cropped up in residential colonies.
“Yes, due to health craze among youth, many gyms have come up in Jammu city,” she said.
When asked about registered and unregistered gyms and health clubs with the JMC, she said, “There is no such particular record of gyms and health clubs with the JMC.”
