With Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu offering to convert aircraft carrier INS Viraat into a museum after it is decommissioned next year and base it at Visakhapatnam harbour, the Centre has decided to explore if the other eight coastal States too would be interested in preserving the heritage warship. The Government will thus invite offers from all the littoral States in this regard.
While appreciating Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation’s (APTDC) offer, the Central Government is keen to bring other coastal States on board to bid for this proposed project in an effort to highlight the maritime prowess of the country. The Andhra Government is willing to spend Rs20 crore to convert the ship into a floating museum.
Justifying the decision to invite other State Governments including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Odisha, officials said the Central Government also wants to avoid the repeat of the fate that befell another aircraft carrier INS Vikrant which did not find any takers for a museum or a tourist resort after it was decommissioned in 1997.
The Navy had to spend Rs100 crore every year for the next 17 years to maintain INS Vikrant’s docking at the Mumbai harbour and the ship, which was the first aircraft carrier of the country, finally had to be sent to the ship-breaking yard for dismantling last year.
Keeping this fact in view, the Government wants to involve various State Governments. Those who are interested will have to spell out by September how they want to maintain the aircraft carrier and the venue. This issue is important as the Central Government does not want a situation where after a few years, the chosen State Government begins listing various problems like inability to run the museum or resort for want of funds or lack of space in the harbour, officials said.
As per the plan, once a site is decided, the Navy will anchor INS Viraat, which is likely to be decommissioned next year in May after the International Fleet Review at Visakhapatnam in February, and make arrangements for dry docking it. Officials clarified that the Central Government will not charge any money for the decommissioned ship while giving it to the selected State Government.
Incidentally, two submarine museums in Visakhapatnam and Chennai respectively are very popular tourist destinations. The Andhra Government converted a decommissioned Kalvari class submarine into a museum, while the Tamil Nadu Government converted a Vela class submarine into one.
INS Viraat is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the world with 56 years of service and will celebrate its last anniversary in the Navy on May 11.The British-built ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987 before serving in the Royal Navy as HMS Hermes since its induction in 1959. The ship saw action in the Falklands War in 1982.
INS Vikrant, the other aircraft carrier also built by UK, was sold to IB Commercial for Rs 60 crore for scrap leading to a political row and a Save Vikrant campaign. The ship, which took part in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation campaign, was decommissioned in January 1997. The Maharashtra Government then proposed to convert the warship into a museum and the Defence Ministry approved free transfer of the ship to the State in 1999. However in 2012, Maharashtra indicated its inability to take up the project and the Central Government had to then send the heritage ship to a breaking yard.