Are Dhaka's public gyms serving the public?

It was an early evening in June. Twenty-year-old Sanjeeb Hossain hoisted up a pair of rusty dumbbells over his head and carried on with his workout inside the Azimpur Battala Gymnasium Centre. He has been coming to the gym five days a week for the last six years, and although he is not happy with the old equipment or the environment of the gym, the affordable monthly fee makes this his only option.  

Some dumbbells and weight plates lay scattered on the floor, and at the centre stood a 10 Station Multi Gym machine. The second floor also had some workout equipment, but it was devoid of any human presence. Concrete plaster had come off at many places from the walls of the old building.

​​"I came here because this gym is not as expensive as the private ones," said Sanjeeb, lifting dumbbells while checking his "form" in the mirror. 

One has to pay Tk600 admission fee to become a member of the gym and pay Tk100 per month from then onwards. 

"Tk100 per month is nothing," Sanjeeb said. "Anyone can pay that amount of money for a month to stay fit. There are more or less 100 members at the gym, but they do not come regularly."

Dhaka South City Corporation has a total of 18 gymnasiums under its jurisdiction, according to officials. But the unfavourable environment and worn-out equipment has led them to decide to lease out the gyms to the private sector. 

Meanwhile, Dhaka North City Corporation has undertaken modernisation and greening projects for 18 parks, under which gym equipment have been installed inside the parks. But critics say the equipment is rudimentary and professionals looking to build muscles or get a proper workout need more. Moreover, women do not feel comfortable working out in these open spaces.   

Dhaka South's gyms to go under private management  

Dhaka South Chief Social Welfare and Slum Development Officer Akand Mohammad Faisal Uddin said that the equipment in 16 of its 18 gymnasiums are old.

So, they have taken an initiative to leave the gymnasiums to private management. In the new model, the private company will renovate the buildings and buy the necessary modern equipment to run the gymnasiums. The companies will provide the city corporation an annual rent.  

"We have already received some proposals and we are evaluating those. I think at least three private companies may start their operations in the gymnasiums next month," said Akand.

Other gymnasiums in Dhaka South may follow suit soon.

Elsewhere in the city corporation, Rasulbagh Park's gymnasium has modern equipment, but we saw no members during our visit at 6:30pm on 15 June. 

Park employee Nazmul said that he has mainly been looking after the Rasulbag gym and park for the last three years. The gymnasium includes two treadmills and three stationary bikes for women. One of the bikes and a treadmill have already gone out of commission. 

Nazmul said that the process of enrolling to the gymnasium is easy — an admission fee of Tk500 and monthly fees of Tk300. But the gym had no trainer although the city corporation website says there are trainers. Gym goers alleged that the few existing trainers are usually absent at the gyms. 

"There is no trainer. For the people who work out here, YouTube is their trainer," said Nazmul.

He said that around 12 people come to the gymnasium regularly, some in the morning and some in the afternoon.

It seems that lack of high-quality equipment and proper environment discourages people from going to the gyms owned by the city corporation.

Open gyms in Dhaka North not women-friendly 

The gymnasiums under the Dhaka North City Corporation are completely different. All gym equipment have been set up outdoors at a corner in the parks. 

The Banani C Block Park looks neat and clean. The park remains open from 6am to 10pm, and is divided on the basis of different age-groups and activities. But in the late afternoon, there was nobody in the gym, although access to it is absolutely free. 

Gym equipment have also been set up at the Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park too. There are 11 gym equipment, which look like playthings, set up in the park. Professional trainers are of the opinion that these equipment are not fit for those who want to train seriously. 

On a visit at 4:30pm on 18 June, there was a lot of activity going on in the park. Some people were jogging, some were busy playing basketball, some were taking rest, and some were working out with the gym equipment. 

Bornil Sarkar, who recently sat for his HSC exams, has been coming to the park every day for his workout for the last one year. He lives in Shahzadpur in the city, a 20-minute walk from his home. He mainly comes to the park for jogging and workout in the morning. 

"I play football, go jogging and then get in a good workout," said Bornil, who noted that women show little interest in using the gym. "They mostly jog in the park."   

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Park, which sits on the busy Gulshan-Banani road, is a bit different. The park also has some gym equipment in one corner. 

However, the park's front gates are always under lock and key. One of the caretakers who works for the contractor company says that most of the time people from the nearby Korail slum come and take things away. For this reason, they always keep two of the three gates of the park closed with a lock. 

Five-time Mr Bangladesh winner and noted bodybuilder Nazmus Shakib Bhuiyan, who is also pro-bodybuilding trainer, said that the gym equipment set up inside the parks in the Dhaka North are not for professionals. 

"These equipment can only be used for warm-ups; they are not fit for building muscle," he said.

He believes that the equipment set up in different parks under the Dhaka North City Corporation are basically toys for children. 

"Women will not feel comfortable working out in the open. Our culture is not like that," Nazmus added. 

He said that as people pay taxes to the local government, the local government should create fitness amenities for the city dwellers.  

"When you work out — in the real sense of the word — you can stay fit," said Nazmus. "If you want to get stronger and more than 'just fit', these equipment will not do; you need a proper gym." 

There is also the problem of weather. If it is raining or the heat is scorching, people will not be able to exercise. 

About Dhaka South's gymnasiums, Nazmus said that most of those are in bad shape. 

"The environment is poor and the equipment are old. You are going to a gym to become healthy, but the problem is that the environment is not that suitable or welcoming," he added.

However, Dhaka North Mayor Atiqul Islam said that people can have different opinions about the open gyms in the parks. 

"But people in the Uttara Sector-4 area are happy with an open gym," he said.