New Delhi: A farewell golfing event for outgoing chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, was cancelled on Wednesday after the Air Force sports complex near the prime minister’s residence in New Delhi was shut. The closure comes amid the Centre’s efforts to reclaim government land around Lok Kalyan Marg, although the property’s possession status remains unclear.
Members received a message on Tuesday saying the complex would close from 5am on Wednesday “until further orders”. Maintenance and contractual staff had reportedly been instructed not to report for duty from Monday, and two workers were turned away on Wednesday.
The cancelled event, traditionally known as “golfing-out”, marks the departure of the air chief, who serves as patron in chief of the Air Force Golf Club. ACM Singh retires on October 31. The defence ministry has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, vice-chief of the air staff (VCAS) as his successor.
Government moves to reclaim prime land
The sports complex lies within the Race Course Air Force station and is used by serving and retired defence personnel. Its facilities include a nine-hole, par-35 golf course, driving range, practice areas, swimming pool and dining spaces. Historical defence estate records place the wider Air Force-occupied land at approximately 126.95 acres, not the complex alone.
The closure comes as the land and development office (L&DO), under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, pursues recovery of government properties nearby. An Air Force officer told the Tribune that an eviction notice concerning the complex had been issued in 2017, with the matter raised again this year. The legal effect of those notices on the current closure is unclear.
In August, the L&DO evicted the Delhi Race Club from its 53-acre site. The government has also reclaimed the 15-acre Jaipur Polo Ground, while separate proceedings concerning the 27-acre Delhi Gymkhana club are being contested in the Delhi high court.
Land’s future remains unclear
Hindustan Times quoted an unnamed person claiming the government had taken over the golf course. However, no property-specific possession or handover order has been publicly verified. Officials at the site reported no demolition activity, while neither the land’s intended use nor any reopening timetable has been announced.
The IAF had not issued a public explanation of the closure by Wednesday evening, and no clarification on the property’s administrative status was available from the housing ministry or L&DO.