Built to provide accessible fitness to residents, gyms across community centres under the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) have largely remained locked and unusable—some for over 11 years—despite significant public expenditure.
Out of 42 community centres, 28 were equipped with gym facilities at costs ranging between ₹7 lakh and ₹25 lakh, depending on the equipment installed. In contrast, gyms at modern community centres in Sectors 37 and 38 saw investments of nearly ₹5 crore each. Yet, most of these facilities have never been fully operational.
Residents say the gyms were constructed without a clear roadmap. “They haven’t been opened to the public since construction. The machinery is now rusting,” said Pankaj Gupta, highlighting the longstanding neglect.
Staff crunch, policy paralysis
A key hurdle has been the absence of trained staff. With no coaches or trainers appointed, and operational modalities never finalised, the facilities have remained shut or only partially accessible. In several cases, even centres deemed open are effectively unusable due to a lack of maintenance and safety concerns over outdated equipment.
Baljinder Singh Bittu, the president of a Resident Welfare Association (RWA), pointed out that no membership system was ever introduced. Echoing the sentiment, Amardeep Singh, another RWA president, said residents had shown a keen interest in using the facilities. “People are ready to become members, but some gyms were never opened for public use,” he said, adding multiple written complaints have been submitted to the MC commissioner and local councillors.
{{/usCountry}}Baljinder Singh Bittu, the president of a Resident Welfare Association (RWA), pointed out that no membership system was ever introduced. Echoing the sentiment, Amardeep Singh, another RWA president, said residents had shown a keen interest in using the facilities. “People are ready to become members, but some gyms were never opened for public use,” he said, adding multiple written complaints have been submitted to the MC commissioner and local councillors.
{{/usCountry}}In some sectors, gyms briefly began operations but shut down soon after. Facilities in Sectors 22, 49, and 38 Mahila Bhawan reportedly closed due to non-payment of trainers’ fees, reflecting administrative gaps in sustaining operations.
MC engineering wing officials estimate that the civic body spent approximately ₹10 lakh on smaller gyms and ₹20 lakh to ₹25 lakh on larger ones. Despite this, the absence of a structured policy for staffing, maintenance, and revenue generation has rendered the investments unproductive.
Pricing tenders out of form
In a bid to revive the facilities, the MC attempted to lease out 29 community centre gyms to private operators. However, the tender floated in February 2026 failed to attract a single bidder.
Responding to this, Mayor Saurabh Joshi said the lack of interest may be linked to the pricing structure. “The rates are fixed at ₹750 a month for non-members, and ₹750 for three months for members residing near the community centre. The low fee structure may not be financially viable for prospective bidders,” he said.
The mayor added that the corporation is open to revisiting the terms, including pricing, revenue sharing, and contract conditions, to make the model more viable. On why the MC has not opened these gyms directly for public use, he said that trained professionals are essential. “Professional gym trainers are required to run these gyms effectively and ensure maximum public benefit,” he said.
Joshi said the gyms were set up based on local demand. “The provision of gyms was made in existing community centres and equipment was purchased at the request of area councillors for public use. However, they could not be operated due to policy decisions taken by the MC and the non-availability of a professional agency to run them properly,” he added.
Push for privatisation
The proposal to privatise gym operations was debated in the MC’s monthly general House meeting last year, during which councillors expressed differing views. While some opposed private operators in their areas, others extended support. The councillor from Sector 40, Gurbax Kaur, said she had given her consent to allow gyms to be run in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
Following the failed February tender, the civic body floated an updated tender on February 25, 2026, with a 21-day window for submissions. Officials say this is another attempt to attract private participation.
As the MC struggles to find takers for its privatisation model, residents continue to question why publicly funded infrastructure has been allowed to decay without a viable operational framework.