Delhi Gymkhana Club to seek clarity on handover order

The Delhi Gymkhana Club will write to the Land and Development Office seeking clarity on several issues after the Centre asked the club to hand over its premises by June 5. In an official communication to its members, the club said on Saturday, the Centre has asked it to hand over its premises in Lutyens' Delhi to “strengthen and secure defence infrastructure” and for other public security purposes. The club said it received the notice on May 22 from the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, seeking “re-entry and resumption” of the 27.3-acre land parcel, which is located on 2, Safdarjung Road, adjacent to the prime minister's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.The club also said that it has sought an urgent appointment with the officials of the housing and urban affairs ministry.

The development comes after the Centre asked the Delhi Gymkhana Club to hand over its premises by June 5, saying the 27.3-acre land parcel was required for "strengthening and securing defence infrastructure" and for other vital public security purposes. Originally founded on July 3, 1913, as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, the institution was established to serve colonial administrators and military officers. The word ‘Imperial’ was dropped after India gained Independence in 1947, while the existing structures were constructed in the 1930s.