Open-Air Gyms Draw Crowds In Secunderabad Parks

Hyderabad:Dozens of Secunderabad Cantonment colonies are seeing a new addition to their parks - rows of exercise machines painted in bright colours, installed as part of the Board’s plan to expand open-air gyms to 32 locations. The initiative has drawn steady crowds, but residents warn that without maintenance, it could go the way of rusting swings and broken benches.

Over the past couple of months, equipment including air walkers, rowing trainers, pull-up bars and leg presses are slowly being set up in parks such as Avanti Colony, P&T Colony, Bollarum Gardens, Alankrita Meadows and Wellington Enclave. Mornings and evenings now see a mix of walkers, seniors and children testing the machines.

For many, the attraction is affordability. “A regular gym costs at least a thousand rupees a month. Here, we can work out for free,” said Ramesh, a 45-year-old from P&T Colony. Others point to convenience. “I never had the time to go to a gym, but now I stop here after my walk with my daughter. It fits into daily life,” said Meenakshi, a resident of RK Puram.

The Cantonment Board has said it was responding to rising public interest in fitness after the pandemic by converting existing parks into accessible spaces. Residents, however, remain cautious. “These machines are good now, but unless the Board maintains them, they will break down within a year,” said Krishna, a resident of Alankrita Meadows.

Greenery and new flower beds in some parks have made the spaces more inviting, but for many residents, the question is not about the launch but about continuity. With 32 colonies on the list, the challenge will be ensuring the gyms do not become another example of infrastructure introduced with fanfare but left to decay.

• 32 colonies to have open gyms

• 10+ types of machines per park (air walker, leg press, rowing trainer, pull-up bar, etc.)

• `1,000+ typical private gym fee residents say they save monthly