Ludhiana gyms once again face uphill battle to survive

With the Punjab government directing all gyms in the state to stay closed till April 30, it’s a tough road ahead for hundreds of gym owners in the city, who are not only staring at losses but also fear that they might have to close shop.

Even last year, a large number of small and medium scale gyms were forced to close down, as the owners found it difficult to pay fixed costs. The gym owners are now recalling the damage on the sector due to the five-month lockdown (March 20 to August 5, 2020) imposed last year. Accusing the state government of discriminating against the sector, the gym owners rued that markets, factories and transport sector have been allowed to open, but only the gyms have been asked to stay closed.

No relief from govt yet

As per figures, there are over 800 gyms in Ludhiana, of which 80% are being run on rented properties. With no income amid the shutdown, they will face difficulty in paying rent, power bills, salaries, bank instalments and other fixed charges. Further, it will also lead to unemployment, as no relief or support being extended by the government towards the sector. Thousands of people including the trainers, cleaning staff and suppliers of health supplements are involved with the sector, directly or indirectly.

President of Punjab Gym Welfare Society and owner of Aura Gym, Navneet Singh said, “This is peak season for the gym industry as a large number of people join in April for to lose weight during summers. Even last year, the gyms were closed at this time and now, the government has announced a lockdown irrationally again. Many of the gym owners pay rent in lakhs. Even if the rent is ₹20,000, it will be a herculean task to pay up without any income.”

Members of the society including president of Jalandhar Gym society, Kanwardeep Singh and Sandeep Narula from Sri Muktsar Sahib conducted a meeting in this regard on Wednesday. The owners rued that they are still struggling to recover from the losses suffered last year and the government has further added to the woes by announcing a lockdown.

Director of Gym Ekta Welfare Association, Ramesh Bangar said, “Business had slowly come back on track, but the footfall was reduced to 70% as we had to follow Covid protocol and avoid rush. We are ready to follow all the protocols, but the government is adamant in pushing the sector towards closure. These restrictions will inculcate fear among the customers. Gyms promote health, but the government is defaming the sector by giving the impression that the disease spreads at gyms even when we follow all the protocols.”

Secretary of Punjab Gym Welfare Society, Pardeep Appu said, “The chain of transmission of the virus cannot be broken by closing down a few sectors like ours, which have remained a soft target for the government If the government wants to curb the Covid spread, then a complete lockdown should be imposed. Over 50 gym owners were forced to shut down last year, and the number will rise this year, as many owners will not even be able to pay bank instalments. This will also lead to large scale unemployment, for which the government will be responsible.”

Owner of Body Engineers Health Club in BRS Nagar, Sunny Ghai said, “Clients are seeking extension in memberships in lieu of lockdown and we also have to pay salaries and power bills. The closure announcement has inculcated fear among the gym owners and our staff as uncertainty prevails over the sector once again.”