Committee formed to regulate gyms in Ghaziabad

A committee headed by a city magistrate has been constituted to regulate gymnasiums across the district, an official said on Saturday.

At a meeting held with gym owners in the collectorate, District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said the committee will ensure that norms and standards are set for gymnasiums. The committee will also comprise a district sports officer and a government doctor.

The DM said a copy of an advisory, which has been issued regarding the norms, must be pasted at the main entrance of all gymnasiums. He warned that gym owners will be put to task if they do not adhere to the prescribed instructions.

The qualification of gym trainers would be certified by the district sports officer and a police verification of employees will also be essential, he said.

Also, posters or signboards with misleading advertisements related to "body building and increasing muscle power" would not be permitted, he said.

Besides, no chemist will be allowed to sell food supplements without a doctor's prescription, the district magistrate said.

He noted that gymnasiums are often run in narrow lanes with some on the first floor or even in the basements, making it difficult for fire tenders to reach there in case of a blaze.

Keeping this in view, a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department and a fitness certificate of the building from the Public Works Department would be made compulsory, the district magistrate said.