Gym instructors protest in Dehradun, demand gymnasiums to reopen

Gym instructors and owners in Dehradun on Tuesday staged a protest against the government for not allowing the reopening of gymnasiums in the city.

The protestors were carrying placards, one of them which read- I'm a gym owner and I don't have a right to live', translated from Hindi.

General Secretary of Uttarakhand Health and Fitness Association and Gym owner Gaurav Kohli said to , "During the lockdown, we agreed with the government's decision, but now when they are opening up everything excepting gyms."

"In Dehradun, there are nearly 10,000 associated with 1,500-2,000 gyms, who are finding it difficult to survive due to nationwide lockdown," added Kohli.

Shakir Ali Mazir Wasi, a gym instructor said, "We have to pay off our loans, EMIs and also give school fees. I have not even able to pay the employees who were working with me at the gym for the past two months."

"I think we can run the gyms while following all the precautionary measures with fewer people," Wasi said.

One of the protestors said, "We are not expecting any kind of relief packages from the government. We only request them is to think about us."

According to the Union Home Ministry guidelines, the opening of gymnasiums will be decided based on the assessment of the situation in the third phase of Unlock 1 plan.

( With inputs from ANI )