NEW DELHI: The Air Force Sports Complex on Lok Kalyan Marg, barely a stone's throw from the Prime Minister's official residence, has been shut since Monday and will stay closed till further notice, sources said.
Surveys will be carried out on the premises, sources added, without spelling out who will conduct them or why.
The sudden shutdown has left the farewell for Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retires on October 31, in limbo. A golf outing for the outgoing Chief of the Air Staff was to be held at the complex, which houses an 18-hole golf course. By tradition, the IAF chief is the patron-in-chief of the course.
Located within the Race Course Air Force Station, the complex also has a swimming pool and eateries. It is learnt that members were informed on Tuesday that it would remain closed till further orders. Contractual staff have been asked to stay away since Monday.
The closure comes amid the Centre's drive to reclaim prime government land in the high-security zone around the PM's residence. The drive is being spearheaded by the Land and Development Office (L&DO), which manages government land in Lutyens' Delhi under the housing and urban affairs ministry.
The Air Force Sports Complex is no stranger to the L&DO's radar. On November 13, 2017, it was among five properties on the stretch, together spanning around 150 acres, served notices for allegedly occupying land after their leases expired or encroaching on government land. The matter, however, was put on the back burner. It has now been revived in earnest. The L&DO took over the 53-acre Delhi Race Club premises in August and has also taken back the Jaipur Polo Ground.
The biggest battle is over the Delhi Gymkhana Club. In May, the Centre terminated the club's perpetual lease over its 27-acre campus, invoking a public purpose clause and citing the need to "strengthen and secure defence infrastructure." The club has challenged the move in the Delhi High Court, where the matter is pending.