Gyms at 40 community centres in Chandigarh under CBI lens

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), looking into alleged irregularities in purchase and setting up of gyms in various community centres in Chandigarh, carried out searches at the municipal corporation office in Sector 17 on Friday.

CBI sleuths reached the MC office soon after UT administrator VP Singh Badnore left after addressing the General House meeting, in which MP Kirron Kher, senior municipal officials and former mayors were also present.

Sources said the team entered the premises around 12:30pm and stayed there till about 6pm. The officials went through various records pertaining to gym equipment purchased and installed at community centres between 2016 and 2018.

There are 42 community centres in Chandigarh, of which 40 have gyms. All these are under the CBI lens.

A CBI official, privy to the development, said the central agency received a complaint about the irregularities. He, however, refrained from giving any information about the source.

According to the complaint, the MC had allotted tenders for procuring the gym equipment in different community centres to different contractors. However, all these contractors sourced the equipment from the same firm, raising doubts of favouritism. The complainant has further alleged the equipment was procured at double the prevailing market rate.

The CBI team questioned officials of the MC’s engineering wing and took the records pertaining to the case. It is preparing a list of community centres where the gym equipment was installed and has asked the engineering wing to provide the cost of equipment, said sources. The central agency has also sought details of the MC commissioners in office and councillors in whose wards the gyms were installed during this period.

Confirming the development, MC commissioner KK Yadav said: “The CBI team is looking into allegations of favouring a particular firm for setting up gyms in different community centres using ward development funds between 2016 and 2018. We have handed over the records.”

Meanwhile, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of corruption, local Congress president Pradeep Chhabra said the BJP has been power in the MC House since 2016.

The gyms in community centres have courted controversy ever since they were setup. Many are lying unutilised for want of trainers or due to faulty equipment. A gym cost anywhere between ₹3 lakh and ₹7 lakh, said a municipal official.

Hindustan Times has reported earlier how the gym at the Sector 21 community centre has remained locked ever since being set up in 2017. Those in Sector 37 and 38 (West) are also locked.