00:00Okay, let's turn to another controversy that's been boiling.
00:04First, it was the Delhi Gymkhana in the national capital.
00:07Now, it is the Air Force sports complex inside the Air Force station,
00:12not too far away from the Prime Minister's residence, that has been shut down last week.
00:18The government's proposal to take over the land has raised concerns within the Air Force,
00:24particularly because the station is not just a recreational facility,
00:28but it also houses important military security and administrative installations.
00:34And now it has emerged that the outgoing Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh had raised the issue
00:40with the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh just days before his retirement.
00:45Why is the government of India targeting an Air Force sports complex?
00:51Take a look at the story.
00:55The Indian Air Force usually bids farewell to its chief with a golfing-out retirement event
01:01at the Air Force sports complex located near the Prime Minister's residence.
01:05That is a tradition.
01:07But this year, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh's retirement ceremony,
01:12scheduled on October 20th, got abruptly cancelled.
01:15After the complex was shut following a survey by the Land and Development Office
01:20under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
01:23The 40-acre land parcel falls within the Air Force station on Lok Kalyan Marg.
01:29It has now emerged that on October 26th, just days before his retirement,
01:35the former Air Chief had raised concerns with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
01:39about the proposed takeover of the land.
01:41He emphasised that the Air Force station's operational, administrative and security requirements
01:48made it important for the land to remain under IAF control
01:52and sought reconsideration of the move.
01:55The concern, according to Air Force personnel,
01:58is more about the Air Force station than just the sports complex.
02:03Established in the 1940s, the establishment has remained under IAF control for decades.
02:09The station supports air headquarters and more than 5,000 personnel.
02:14It has accommodation for married and unmarried personnel,
02:17training facilities for airmen and agni veers,
02:20medical facilities and other administrative infrastructure.
02:23It also has important air defence assets,
02:26including equipment for countering drone threats
02:29under the Delhi Integrated Air Defence Centre.
02:32The Air Force sports complex is also in the closed vicinity.
02:36The 40-acre land parcel that has now been sealed,
02:39the sports complex of the Indian Air Force has been sealed.
02:42The VIP-89 shield that happens to be the air defence systems,
02:48the integrated air defence systems for the Delhi security,
02:51the VIP security, that also is in that vicinity of the 40-acre land
02:57that has now been sealed and will be taken by the government.
03:01The closure of Air Force sports club has disappointed Air Force veterans.
03:06Only way it hurts is the manner and method in which it played out.
03:11It was service chief's farewell.
03:14He should have been allowed time.
03:16And if Air Force had certain objections,
03:18they should have been processed.
03:19Of course, if the land is to be used for public good,
03:21it can be and it should be taken away.
03:23But the manner and the method in which the whole process played out
03:27is not good.
03:29The proposed takeover of the Air Force sports complex
03:33is part of a wider government exercise
03:35to reclaim prime land parcels around the Prime Minister's residence.
03:40The government had early initiated action
03:43to take over Delhi Gymkhana Club,
03:45Jaipur Polo Ground and Delhi Race Club.
03:47Will Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit,
03:50the new IAF chief,
03:53now be able to convince the government
03:54and halt the takeover remains to be seen.
03:58Vishwani Sharma, Bureau Report, India Today.
