Government can take back its land when needed, says Urban Affairs Minister on Gymkhana issue

In his archetypal absorption to the government’s determination to statesman the process of taking backmost the onshore leased to the Delhi Gymkhana Club, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister M.L. Khattar connected Monday (May 1, 2026) said the authorities could instrumentality backmost onshore needed for immoderate different intent and that this process would beryllium followed wherever necessary.

“Land is simply a basal diagnostic of municipality development. In astir cases, it has been fixed connected lease. The leased onshore tin beryllium vacated upon expiry of the lease oregon adjacent earlier that for immoderate different use. The onshore we are taking backmost contiguous volition beryllium enactment to usage arsenic per the requirements, and this enactment volition transportation on. There is nary different root of land, truthful we volition person to usage this onshore for improvement needs,” Mr. Khattar said, replying to a question astatine a property league connected the BRICS Urbanisation Forum to beryllium hosted by the Ministry successful Delhi connected June 11-12.

He said wherever determination was a requirement, the authorities could instrumentality backmost its land. The Delhi Gymkhana Club has been asked by the Union Urban Affairs Ministry connected May 22 to manus implicit its premises by June 5 arsenic the 27.3-acre crippled was required for “strengthening and securing defence infrastructure”.

The nine stands adjacent to the Prime Minister’s residence connected the Lok Kalyan Marg successful the nationalist capital.

The premises, located successful a highly delicate and strategical country of Delhi, is critically required for the strengthening and securing of defence infrastructure and different captious nationalist information purposes, an order, issued by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) nether the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said.

The nine has operated from the determination since 1913 and the contiguous buildings were constructed successful the 1930s. Pre-independence it was called the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club and aft Independence, it was renamed Delhi Gymkhana Club.

It stands connected 1 of the city’s astir invaluable and strategically important areas, wrong the high-security administrative portion that houses respective cardinal cardinal authorities and defence establishments.