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Decision on APs proposal to convert INS Viraat to be made shortly
The navy expects a decision soon on Andhra Pradesh governments proposal to convert INS Viraat, which is set to be decommissioned on March 6, into a hotel and museum, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said here today.
Mumbai: The navy expects a decision soon on Andhra Pradesh government's proposal to convert INS Viraat, which is set to be decommissioned on March 6, into a hotel and museum, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said here today.
"That offer is the deliberation between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, which is in progress. Final decision is expected very soon from New Delhi. Deliberations are not done from our headquarters here, but from New Delhi," the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command told reporters here.
When pointed out that INS Viraats decommissioning is just a week away, Luthra said, "We are expecting a decision very soon. That is our expectation."
As per the earlier reports, talks were underway with the Andhra Pradesh government to convert INS Viraat, into a luxury hotel-cum-museum after its decommissioning. The carrier is expected to berth on the coast of Visakhapatnam by mid-2017.
In December last year, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command, Vice-Admiral HCS Bisht in Vishakhapatnam had said that AP was the top contender for getting the majestic warship. "The AP government had shown keen interest on getting INS Viraat to berth in Vizag for promotion of tourism once it is decommissioned and turning it into a ship museum," he had said.
When asked about the future of the ship, Luthra said, "A detailed study about the physical condition of INS Viraat will decide the future, as the aircraft carrier is going to be decommissioned on March 6."
"In case the ship is not converted into a museum, not being used as a target or as a display, then we work out its reserve price, based on it tenders are issued. Based on the issued price, the ship goes to scrap yard. The study has been done, but reserved price is classified information and it is not shared publicly. The naval staff is also not very much involved in it," Luthra said.
"For aircraft carriers, we (Navy) have been keen on retaining the ship with us. We were keen on retaining INS Vikrant as well. There have been two prolonged deliberations for quite a few years, we were unable to go ahead with a firm plan. Therefore, she was subsequently sold as scrap," he said.
"There is another difficulty with retaining the ship. It is the difficulty of berthing space. If an aircraft carrier remains as harboured, she occupies an important space. Along with it, the ship requires maintenance, require people to carry out routine checkups, underwater portions, take it to dry-dock and some other items including fire fighters. Therefore, we are keen on a decision one or another is taken soon," Luthra said.
