Chandigarh, March 29 -- 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 Rs.7 lakh and Rs.25 lakh, depending on the equipment installed. In contrast, gyms at modern community centres in Sectors 37 and 38 saw investments of nearly Rs.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," sai...