NEW DELHI: The Centre has taken possession of 39.5 acres of land housing the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Sports Complex at Race Course Air Force Station in New Delhi. The land has been formally handed over to the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The property is located near the Prime Minister’s official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, formerly known as Race Course Road. The handover was completed on Thursday on an “as is where is” basis.
The sports complex includes a golf course, swimming pool, badminton courts and other sporting facilities. It was closed on October 28, days before the formal transfer of the land.
A joint survey involving the Defence Estates Department, the IAF and the L&DO is expected to establish the exact boundaries and verify the measurements of the transferred land. The L&DO had sought around 39.9 acres, of which 39.5 acres have been handed over.
The takeover is part of a broader government exercise to reclaim prominent properties in the vicinity of Lok Kalyan Marg. The Centre has also taken possession of the Delhi Race Club and Jaipur Polo Ground in recent months. The lease of the Delhi Gymkhana Club was terminated in May, a decision the club has challenged in the Delhi High Court.
The government has cited institutional requirements, governance infrastructure and public-interest projects as reasons for reclaiming land in the area. However, it has not announced a specific plan for the future use of the Air Force Sports Complex property.
The closure of the facility also disrupted the traditional 'golfing-out' farewell ceremony planned for former Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retired on October 31. The IAF chief traditionally serves as the patron-in-chief of the complex.
With inputs from media reports