Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) came up with green gym concept for morning walkers in the gardens of Second Capital City of Nagpur. Open Green Gyms, having a range of fitness equipment, were set up in various NMC gardens for the citizens taking a morning stroll and work out in natural surroundings. However, whether the citizens turned healthy by the Green Gyms or not is matter of pondering but the concept certainly denting the NMC coffers in more ways than one. Also, a contractor is reportedly flourishing and turning “fatter” over the Green Gym concept by indulging in dubious means. Overwhelmed by the demand to set up the Open Green Gyms, the civic body floated separate tenders for each work instead of a joint tender and thus paved a way for money mess.
The day the announcement of the pilot project came in the light, over 7-8 dozen Corporators lined up at the Garden Department of NMC and submitted demands to set up Open Green Gyms in their areas. “Overwhelmed” the demands, the Garden Department went “berserk” and, instead of floating a joint tender for the work, it went for in pieces. The joint tender would have also ended “area rule” of a single contractor. The Garden Department, “favouring” the office-bearers, started setting up Open Green Gyms in each Corporator’s area on the basis of Rs 3-3 lakh “estimate” rather than a joint tender.
According to sources, the work of starting an Open Green Gym could be done with Rs 2 or Rs 2.5 lakh including “profit” of contractor. Moreover, only one contractor was awarded the work and the Garden Department has even handed over work order to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore.
The gardens selected are Sneh Nagar, Shankar Nagar, Reshimbagh, Dhantoli, Nehru Nagar, Gandhibagh, Tulsibagh, Lashkaribagh, Lakadganj, Lal Bahadur Shastri Garden at Pachpaoli, and KT Nagar Nakshatra Udyan.
–Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha (rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com)
