India

IAF Chiefs to Receive Guard of Honour at Race Course Station Amid Eviction Dispute

By Rahul Singh

The Indian Air Force will hold two ceremonial guard‑of‑honour events at the Race Course Air Force Station over the next two days, officials said on Friday. Outgoing chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh will be honored on October 31 at the station’s parade ground, the administrative hub of the Air Headquarters, after 42 years of service. The new chief, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, will inspect a guard of honour on November 1 after taking office.

The IAF has traditionally conducted these ceremonies in a cramped parking lot near South Block but moved them to the larger venue at Race Course to accommodate the need for space.

The move comes amid a government effort to reclaim land allotted to the IAF decades ago. The sprawling Air Force Sports Complex, located within the station and dating back to the 1940s, was closed to members on October 28. The complex houses 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, which had been scheduled for October 31.

Singh will now serve as president of the Air Force Association, whose office is also inside the station. The association, headed by the most recently retired chief, runs welfare programmes for veterans, serving airmen and their families.

The decision to evict the sports complex has disappointed serving personnel and veterans who use the facility. A senior IAF officer, who asked to remain unnamed, said, "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."

The Land and Development Office, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has completed a survey of the complex. The station is close to the Prime Minister’s residence and hosts training facilities for Agniveers and airmen. The complex is one of several high‑profile properties the Centre has sought to reclaim in recent months.

Earlier this year, the government issued a notice to the Delhi Gymkhana Club, directing it to hand over its premises to the Land and Development Office under a public‑purpose clause in the original lease deed. The club has challenged the termination of its lease in the Delhi High Court. The Centre also took possession of the Jaipur Polo Ground after a Delhi court refused to stay its eviction from the 15‑acre site.