Indian Air Force formally hands over 39.5 acres of sports complex land near PM’s residence to Centre

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force has formally handed over 39.5 acres housing its sports complex at Race Course Air Force Station, to the Centre’s land and development office (L&DO). The property, located near the prime minister, Narendra Modi’s official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, has been transferred amid a wider government exercise to reclaim prominent land parcels in the national capital.

The handover was completed on Wednesday, on an “as is, where is” basis, placing the property under the L&DO, which functions under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Centre took possession of the land on Thursday.

A fresh joint survey involving the defence estates office, IAF and L&DO will verify the property’s boundaries and reconcile differences in its measurements. The L&DO had sought approximately 39.9 acres, while the Air Force has handed over 39.5 acres.

The complex, comprising a golf course, swimming pool, badminton courts and other recreational facilities, was closed to members on October 28. It served Air Force personnel, veterans and their families and was administered by a council of serving IAF officers, according to a 2024 Delhi high court judgment.

The closure disrupted the traditional “golfing-out” farewell planned for the former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retired on October 31. The Air Chief traditionally serves as patron in chief of the facility.

Before retiring, Singh reportedly wrote to the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, on October 26 and met him three days later, seeking reconsideration of the proposed takeover. He cited the station’s operational importance and referred to a 2014 joint survey involving defence and urban development authorities, RNA Media reported earlier.

Race Course Air Force Station supports Air Headquarters and provides accommodation, training, medical and security infrastructure for more than 5,000 personnel They also described its role in countering unmanned aerial system threats during security activities coordinated through the Delhi Integrated Air Defence Centre (DIADC).

However, the latest handover concerns the sports complex, not the entire operational Air Force station.

The land’s administrative history dates to a 2014 submission before the Central Information Commission, which recorded that the Air Force occupied 126.948 acres belonging to the-then urban development ministry in the Race Course area. Of the 100 acres allotted to the defence ministry, only 52.80 acres had been formally transferred, while the defence estates officer described the sports complex as apparently situated on urban development ministry land.

The takeover follows the Centre’s acquisition of the Delhi Race Club’s race track in August and Jaipur Polo Ground in June. The government also terminated the Delhi Gymkhana Club’s lease in May – a decision challenged in the Delhi high court.

The L&DO previously described the area near Lok Kalyan Marg as a “highly sensitive and strategic area”, citing urgent institutional needs, governance infrastructure and public-interest projects while terminating the Delhi Gymkhana Club’s lease in May. However, the government has not publicly specified how it intends to use the 39.5-acre Air Force sports complex property.