The Race Course Air Force Station, which is in the spotlight following the Centre’s move to evict some Indian Air Force facilities from the premises, including a golf course, is set to host two key ceremonial functions over the next two days for the outgoing and incoming chiefs for the first time, officials aware of the development said on Friday.
Outgoing IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh will receive a farewell guard of honour on October 31 at the parade ground inside the station, which serves as the administrative hub of the Air Headquarters, the officials said. The top fighter pilot hangs up his boots after 42 years of military service. The new chief, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, will also inspect a ceremonial guard of honour at the same venue on November 1 after assuming office, the officials added
The IAF traditionally held these ceremonies in the cramped parking lot of Air Headquarters near South Block but moved the guard of honour to the Race Course Air Force Station to accommodate the need for a larger venue.
The shift is significant for another reason.
The sprawling Air Force Sports Complex, located within the Race Course Air Force Station, dating back to the 1940s, was closed to members on October 28 until further notice as the government moves to reclaim land allotted to the IAF decades ago, as first reported by Hindustan Times.
{{/usCountry}}The sprawling Air Force Sports Complex, located within the Race Course Air Force Station, dating back to the 1940s, was closed to members on October 28 until further notice as the government moves to reclaim land allotted to the IAF decades ago, as first reported by Hindustan Times.
{{/usCountry}}The sports complex houses a range of facilities, including a golf course, guest cottages, a swimming pool, a fitness centre and restaurants.
Its abrupt closure forced the cancellation of Singh’s farewell golf event, scheduled for October 31, raising questions over the timing of the Centre’s move. A “golfing-out” is usually planned for outgoing chiefs in their capacity as patron-in-chief of the golf course. Singh will now take over as the president of the Air Force Association whose office is also located inside the Race Course Air Force Station. The association, headed by the most recently retired IAF chief, runs welfare programmes for veterans, serving airmen and their families.
The move has disappointed serving personnel and veterans who use the facility. “The armed forces are a part of government machinery and not some private organisation. You can’t just evict an arm of the government from government premises. Where has it ever been done before,” said a senior IAF officer, who asked not to be named.
The Land and Development Office (L&DO), which functions under the ministry of housing and urban affairs, has completed a survey of the sports complex.
The Race Course Air Force Station is a stone’s throw from the PM’s residence. It houses training facilities for Agniveers and airmen.
The sports complex is among a series of high-profile properties that the Centre has sought to reclaim in recent months.
On May 22, the government issued a notice to the Delhi Gymkhana Club, directing it to hand over its premises to the L&DO under a public-purpose clause in the original lease deed. The government said the land was required to “strengthen and secure defence infrastructure”.
The colonial-era club has challenged the termination of its lease deed in the Delhi high court.
The Centre subsequently took possession of the Jaipur Polo Ground after a Delhi court refused to stay its eviction from the 15-acre site.