‘Thali Bajao, Sarkaar Jagao’ protest by gym owners in Jalandhar
Ajay Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, June 9
Members of the Jalandhar Gym Owners’ Welfare Society were seen protesting outside the District Administrative Complex on Tuesday.
They said they were struggling to pay the rent and salaries of their employees, as they were unable to do any business in the last over two months.
Similar to the Prime Minister’s initiative of beating thalis to acknowledge Covid warriors, gym owners and their staff members, in order to grab the attention of the administration, launched a protest naming it ‘Thali Bajao, Sarkaar Jagao’.
Through the placards they were holding, they asked: ‘Kahn Gaya Fit India Movement?’; ‘How to Pay Rent?’; ‘Save Fitness Industry’; and ‘Save Gym, Save Trainers’.
Jimmy Bhambra, president of the gym owners’ welfare society, and the owner of ‘Bulls The Gym’, said: “The fitness industry will soon be under debt. Gyms are the only source of income for trainers and we have been out of business for around 75 days now. The government has allowed markets, restaurants, malls and various other sectors to operate, where the fear of Covid is much higher. However, gyms, where people can remain healthy by improving their immunity, are still closed. Gyms and fitness studios run on real-time cash flows and have been massively hit. But on the contrary, we are being pressurised by our landowners to pay hefty rents.” He said he had employed around 15 people, including trainers, housekeeping staff and receptionists. There are around 400-500 gyms in the city and hundreds of staff members are unemployed post the lockdown. Manpreet, a gym trainer, said: “We are finding it difficult to make ends meet. The owners are not able to pay full salaries, as there is no business. We urge the government to allow gyms to operate at the earliest. Besides, bodybuilders are unable to prepare for different championships.”
Himanshu Chaddha, who owns three branches of Neo Fitness gym, said: “We have to pay rent, bills, bank EMIs and other expenses, which is not possible right now. Due to the pressure from landlords, we have been forced to take more loans. Our clients are also demanding refund of their fee in the absence of services. Therefore, we demand that the government should either allow gyms to open or their building rents should be waived off.”
