Uttar Pradesh: 102 Bijnor villages to sweat it out in outdoor gyms

BIJNOR: As many as 102 villages with a population above 5,000 have been shortlisted in Bijnor for setting up outdoor gyms on government land. The expenditure on each gym will be borne by the respective village panchayats.
Giving details, Bijnor district panchayat raj officer Satish Kumar said, “Proposal for the same has been prepared and the land earmarked in respective villages.If a village panchayat does not have enough land, the gym may be run in panchayat ghar or primary school grounds in the evening time. We will spend at least Rs 4 lakh or more as per requirement on each gym. Modern machines for exercising will be set here.”
Officials said each gym covering about 500 sq yards will have a storeroom for keeping equipment. Trainers will also be appointed. Some of the villages selected include Garhi Islamnagar, Rasoolpur Pirthi, Asathabad Rehdu, Jaitra and Hussainpur.
The purpose of these gyms is to enable children, youth and the general public to focus on good health and healthy lifestyle in rural areas. The DPRO said the plan for gyms was made two years ago but were stalled due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Many people have hailed the decision. Khilendra Singh from Adampur village said, "The gyms will inspire youths to take up sports and workout for good health instead of moving towards addictions and other bad habits.”