Delhi seizes polo grounds amid fight over green space
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- The Indian government took over the 15-acre Jaipur Polo Ground this week, padlocking the gates and ending nearly a century of polo at a site the Maharaja of Jaipur gave to the Delhi Polo Club.
- Officials are also pursuing the neighboring Delhi Gymkhana Club, an 11-hectare colonial-era institution, under a "larger public purpose and benefit" rationale — though no specifics of the intended use have been made public.
- Critics suspect high-rise apartment blocks for civil service and defence personnel will replace both sites; the polo club had paid rent until 2030, and the cases remain in court.
- Justice Neena Bansal Krishna of the Delhi High Court warned that converting the grounds would deprive residents of "the small lung that we have," noting Delhi's population has surged to roughly 23 million from 17 million in 2011.
- A Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report found 97 of the world's 100 hottest cities are in India; activists note Delhi's open spaces are shrinking as parks are converted to parking for the city's 8 million vehicles.
- Bhavreen Kandhari, founder of anti-pollution group Warrior Moms, framed the dispute: "The issue is not polo versus public use. It's open green space versus construction."
Why it matters: Delhi's population has grown to 23 million from 17 million in 2011, and 97 of the world's 100 hottest cities are in India — yet the government is seizing two rare open green spaces covering roughly 40 acres, which critics believe will become high-rise housing for civil servants. Outdoor workers without air conditioning will bear the heat-island burden most acutely.
