New Delhi: The Union government has moved to reclaim the land of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Sports Complex inside the Race Course Air Force Station in New Delhi, close to the Prime Minister's official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. The complex has been closed since Wednesday, October 28, after the Land and Development Office (L&DO), which works under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, issued eviction notices to its management and sought the return of the land, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
Source: PTI
The sports complex, which has a golf course, a swimming pool and other facilities, has served Air Force personnel and their families for decades as part of the station's social and welfare infrastructure. Reports put the land under survey for reclamation at roughly 40 acres.
According to a media report shared by the Congress on Tuesday, the outgoing Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on October 26 — days before his retirement on October 31 — to protect the IAF's control of the prime land, citing operational imperatives and the facilities located at the station. The claim rests on that media report; no official statement from the Air Force or the Defence Ministry on the appeal has been published in the reports read for this story.
Source: PTI
The IAF has told the Defence Ministry that the Race Course site supports training, medical and administrative services and is used in countering unmanned aerial systems as part of the Delhi Integrated Air Defence Centre's operations, according to reports on the service's position. The new Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who took charge after Singh's retirement, has said he will personally attend to personnel welfare and is expected to take the matter forward with the defence authorities.
Source: Particle News
The Congress attacked the move on Tuesday, November 3. Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared the media report on X and said: "The IAF Sports Complex has a long history and has, over the decades, served many public purposes, as well as being an integral part of the Indian Air Force social infrastructure." He added: "The Modi government's actions are an absolute disgrace and show utter disrespect to the entire IAF family."
Source: PTI
The closure is part of a wider drive by the Centre to reclaim high-value land parcels near Lok Kalyan Marg. In August, the government evicted the Delhi Race Club from its 53-acre premises, citing a public-purpose requirement. On May 22, the Centre issued a notice to the Delhi Gymkhana Club directing it to hand over its premises to the L&DO; the club has challenged the termination of its perpetual lease in the Delhi High Court. The government has also taken possession of the Jaipur Polo Ground after a Delhi court declined to grant a stay on its eviction.
Source: Jazzbaat24
Reports said the closure also led to the cancellation of a traditional ceremonial farewell golf event planned for the outgoing Air Force chief. When the closure was first reported on October 28, an IAF spokesperson was not immediately available for comment, and the authorities have not announced in the reports read for this story what the reclaimed land will be used for or when any part of the complex might reopen.
Source: Jazzbaat24
What happens next will depend on the discussions between the Air Force, the Defence Ministry and the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. The Congress criticism has turned an administrative land decision into a political row over how the government treats the armed forces' welfare infrastructure in the capital.