Lilatpur and Kathmandu Metropolitan City have been constructing open gyms and entrusting locals with the responsibility of operating them. Since the metropolis has not shown any interest in monitoring and management after the establishment, some of the gym equipment has reached a point where it is no longer possible to operate.
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Shankha Park, located on the border of Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts, is bustling with activity since early morning, with some running, some practicing yoga and meditation, and some chatting with friends.
Asha Devi Patel, a resident of Shankhamul, also reaches Shankha Park in Lalitpur every morning at 5 am. Patel, 62, whose permanent home is Rautahat, has been suffering from knee pain for the past few years, and this problem has been affecting her from walking to daily work. To get relief from this pain, she has made yoga and exercise a lifestyle. She has chosen the open environment of this park for yoga and exercise. She said that it is very comfortable to exercise here regularly.
The tool that gave her the most relief was the cycling equipment kept in the park. She said that the pain gradually decreased when she used the equipment with her feet in the cool morning air. She said, ‘When I cycled, my legs felt lighter, the pain was less, the doctor also told me to do light exercise, so I always cycled.’ However, the cycling machine that used to give her relief has now reached a point where it is no longer usable. The pedals have fallen off, the seat is broken, the nuts are loose. She said that now she is even afraid to put her feet on it. According to her, the cycling machine has been in this condition for a long time. The machine is in a neglected state because no one pays attention to its maintenance. She said, ‘Children come, think of it as a toy and ride it, leave it damaged, no one protects it, no one repairs it.’
Mukesh Shakya of Lalitpur Sanepa also starts his day from the same park. He spends about an hour in the morning exercising in the park. The ‘sit-up bench’ in the park is his main means of daily exercise, saying that he will lose weight as his stomach grows. He says, ‘My stomach has grown a little, I am trying to reduce it, so I always come here and exercise.’ However, his exercise is now becoming uncomfortable. He said that the condition of the sit-up bench kept in the park is not good. The machine is not fitted properly, it shakes. He says that it is uncomfortable to exercise because it is not balanced. He says that he is afraid of getting injured while exercising. ‘I wonder if I will fight, sometimes I cannot do the entire exercise.’ According to Mukesh, many people would benefit if the machine was repaired and fixed properly. He said that other people who come to the park also complain like this.
The chest press and seat puller, seat off bench, ski walker and other equipment kept in the open gym of Shankh Park under Lalitpur Metropolitan City are damaged. There are no cycling pedals. The nut is loose and the seat seems to have broken. The seat of the bench is rusty and worn out, the seating area looks inferior. These equipments, which are kept in the coordination of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Ward No. 9, are in a dilapidated condition. Although children and young people use them for fun, the elderly are unable to use them. 
Raju Maharjan, spokesperson of Lalitpur Metropolitan City and chairman of Ward No. 9 where the park is located, says that there is no manpower to repair the equipment of the school. He said, "There are no people here who know how to repair the equipment. Now we need to put new ones." He said that the equipment was installed in the park with a budget of 4 lakhs of Bagmati Province. He informed that the provincial government purchased the equipment and sent it and placed it in the park. He informed that the machines could not be kept safe because the park is crowded in the morning and evening. He also said that the machines were damaged due to being flooded and filled with sand. Even though there are open gyms in every ward of the metropolis, their condition is not monitored. He said, ‘There are gyms in every ward, but it is impossible to say exactly how many there are.’
Like in Shankha Park of Lalitpur metropolis, the condition of gym equipment in parks and open spaces of Kathmandu Metropolitan City is also the same. The play equipment kept in the children’s institution or gym equipment does not seem to have been repaired. The equipment of the gym operated under the Singha Durbar Police Circle under Kathmandu Metropolitan City-29 also seems to be damaged, broken and broken. Vishwabandhu Poudel, who reached the park with his granddaughter from Anamnagar, goes to the park in the evening and spends some time, plays with his granddaughter and takes a light walk. However, he is worried about the condition of the park lately. According to him, the exercise equipment kept in the park is damaged, broken and not in repair. He said, ‘The equipment is getting damaged and broken, but no one seems to be paying attention to its maintenance.’
Although the Metropolitan City is taking a positive initiative to operate gyms in open spaces while taking care of the health of the general public, there is a lack of long-term management, he said. He said that no one has cared about not only the maintenance of the equipment but also the cleanliness of the park. He said, ‘The cleanliness of the park is also not good, there is increasing garbage, and the equipment is also left like that.’ He said that he feels unsafe when bringing his granddaughter to play.
The gym is located on a slope, and the equipment is also damaged. Which poses a risk of injury at any time, he said. Since such public places are the common property of everyone, he suggests that the Metropolitan City should work seriously in its protection and management. 
The condition of the Vinayak Children's Park located in Kathmandu Metropolitan City-10 is no different from that near Shankha Park and Singha Durbar. The exercise and play equipment for children is broken and lying on the ground. Among them, Sushmita Aryal of Baneshwor goes to the park every day to play with her 5-year-old daughter. She said that she brings this because her daughter is on school holidays. The equipment of the park is in a broken condition. She said, ‘The children come and play in it. I see that they have left it like that. I don’t know how to make it.’
How is the gym being operated?
Ramkumar KC, the chairman of Ward No. 10, who is also the chairman of the park, said that he has reported and sent everything. He said that he has reported to the metropolis about the condition of the park gym under the metropolis and has taken the improvement process forward. He said that even though the ward has given the responsibility to the Tole Sudhar Committee, it has not been regulated effectively.
He said that the problem is that the committee leaves it open all night and does not monitor it. He said, ‘The ward cannot monitor and supervise in all places. We had given the responsibility to the Tol Sudhar Committee of the place where it was built.’ There are 4 kindergartens and 4 open gymnasiums in the ward. Now, the control and regulation will be done by the Metropolitan Police, he informed. 
Kathmandu Metropolitan City has not been able to organize them even though it has built kindergartens and open gymnasiums in various areas and vacant lands. Kathmandu Metropolitan City spokesperson Navin Manandhar said that it is impossible to say for sure how many open gymnasiums there are in the metropolis. He also admitted that the metropolitan cities have not been able to repair the equipment installed and put into operation. He said that the traditional work of building the foundation, not cleaning it, and not repairing it is continuing.
He said that there is also a lack of necessary budget for maintenance. He said, ‘While building the gymnasium, only the work of buying and connecting the materials was done.’ There is no plan to maintain it. There is no budget and no person to maintain it. There is no budget heading for its maintenance. He said that the problem was due to the high cost of maintenance. He said that it was built considering the necessity rather than any standard procedure.
