Fitness boost: HP govt sets up gym at Kaza in Spiti valley
SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh government has set up a gym at Kaza, the headquarters of the scenic Spiti valley, at an altitude of 12,000 feet, claiming it to be the highest gym in the world.
The gym, with equipment worth ₹10 lakh, has been set up at the sports complex at Kaza and is aimed at promoting fitness among local youngsters.
“The gym is the highest in the world. We are in the process of getting it verified by the Guinness Book of World Records,” says state tribal development minister Ram Lal Markanda.
“Youngsters of the area will get an opportunity to spend time in physical activity rather getting drawn to an unhealthy lifestyle, including addiction to electronic gadgets and substance abuse. Besides keeping residents fit, it will help visitors get acclimatised to the high-altitude region,” said the minister.
“The setting up of the gym is good. It will channelise the energy of youngsters, who are otherwise addicted to electronic gadgets,” says a 65-year-old local resident, Dolma, who goes by one name. “The government is encouraging women also to use the facility,” she adds.
The government hopes that better facilities in the tribal district will bring down the incidence of winter migration. For decades, residents of Lahaul and Spiti district used to remain cut off from the rest of the world due to snowfall at Rohtang Pass that connected the valley with the outside world. With the opening of the Atal Tunnel at the pass, the trend has reversed. The government organised a winter carnival at Spiti last winter apart from promoting winter sports.