New Delhi: The Centre has reportedly formally taken possession of 39.5 acres of land housing the Indian Air Force’s Sports Complex at Race Course Air Force Station, completing a handover to the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The move has triggered anger among retired Air Force officers, who say the abrupt closure of a decades-old recreational institution has disrupted livelihoods, ended a valued social space and forced the cancellation of the outgoing Air Chief’s traditional farewell ceremony.

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The facility, which includes a golf course, swimming pool, badminton courts, restaurants and other sporting infrastructure, was closed on October 28 after members received a message from the complex administration informing them that it would remain shut “till further orders.” The formal transfer to L&DO was reportedly completed on Thursday on an “as is where is” basis.

A sudden shutdown

The L&DO had issued eviction notices to the complex’s management, directing it to vacate the premises and return the land. Officials said the action forms part of a broader effort to reclaim high-value government land parcels around Lok Kalyan Marg, where the Prime Minister’s official residence is located.

The government has cited institutional requirements, governance infrastructure and public-interest projects as reasons for reclaiming land in the area. However, no specific plan for the future use of the Air Force Sports Complex property has been announced.

A joint survey involving the Defence Estates Department, the Indian Air Force and the L&DO is now expected to establish the precise boundaries of the transferred land and examine any variation in measurements. The L&DO had sought about 39.9 acres; 39.5 acres have been handed over.

‘A shocking and painful decision’

Speaking to Mathrubhumi, veterans said the closure was carried out without adequate warning to the Air Force or members of the complex. One retired officer described it as a “completely sudden, shocking and painful decision to destroy an old, well-known service officers’ institute.”

He alleged that the Air Force appeared to have had no indication that such action was being considered, pointing out that the club had invested lakhs of rupees in upgrading its golf greens over the previous six months. “It is obvious the Air Force had no clue that such an action was contemplated even six months ago,” he said.

The closure also disrupted the traditional “golfing-out” ceremony planned for former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retired on October 31. The veteran called the cancellation “a direct insult to the Air Force and the Air Chief in particular,” and alleged that the decision amounted to a punitive action driven by “petty vendetta” at senior levels of government and bureaucracy.

‘A quiet haven’ for retired officers

Another retired Air Force officer said the complex was far more than a golf course. He estimated that more than 300 retired Air Force officers in the National Capital Region had been directly affected by the sudden closure.

“Before I start, I must mention that unless one is a regular golfer, it is very difficult to comprehend the feelings, sentiments and sense of despair a golfer feels when his favourite golf course is closed for no apparent reason,” he said. “This golf course and its associated restaurants are a quiet haven for us retired service officers.”

He said golfers routinely arrived at 5.30 am, six days a week, and played until shortly before sunset. For many elderly members, he said, the course was central to their daily routine and social life. “Some very elderly golfers have lost their mojo,” he said. “The government has just removed, in one stroke, five to 10 years of their remaining life.”

Livelihoods at stake

The veterans said the impact extends well beyond members. Caddies who pulled golf trolleys, restaurant staff, gardeners and maintenance workers all depended on the complex for income, they said.

One veteran said he had known some caddies since 1996, and that they had used their earnings to educate children, build homes and even secure employment in the Air Force. “For them, it is all over now,” he said. “Their livelihood has been snatched in one singular, despotic swoop.”

He added that the restaurants employed roughly 50 bearers working in shifts, while gardeners and maintenance personnel supported the club’s operations. The complex also had a wedding venue popular during the winter season, guest rooms available at nominal rates for outstation retired officers, and facilities used by serving and retired Air Force personnel.

Questions over the government’s rationale

The second veteran said the government’s stated reasons were too vague to justify a permanent closure. “If it is a security issue, then explain the nature of the concern, the assessment undertaken, and why it is going to be permanent,” he said. “Closure should be the last resort, not the first and only response.”

He described the decision as “arbitrary and, more importantly, sudden,” and said it had been delivered without consideration for the elaborate infrastructure or the livelihoods of hundreds of blue-collar workers. The closure came roughly a week before Diwali, he noted, making the impact on staff especially severe.

Part of a wider land review

The Air Force Sports Complex is the latest in a series of prominent properties around Lok Kalyan Marg that the L&DO has moved to reclaim or review, including the Delhi Gymkhana Club, Delhi Race Club and Jaipur Polo Ground. Officials have framed the exercise as an effort to put prime government land to more efficient public and strategic use.

The Indian Air Force had earlier sought a reconsideration of the decision, according to reports citing government sources. Before retiring, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh reportedly wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh seeking that the land remain with the Air Force, arguing that the station supported Air Headquarters and facilities used by thousands of personnel.

For now, the land is with the L&DO, the gates remain shut and the future use of the 39.5-acre complex remains unannounced. For the veterans who used it, however, the issue is no longer only about land: it is about the abrupt loss of a community institution they say served generations of Air Force personnel.