Ruler Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on Monday urged the Center to grant a Certificate of No Objection (NOC) for the transfer of the Viraat aircraft carrier, dismantled in Alang in Gujarat, to be turned into a museum.
In a letter to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, party deputy and spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi stated: “It would be a shame if we let go of our history without giving the benefit of knowledge to our future generation.
“The preservation of Viraat is well deserved and deserves high consideration. It can be saved if the Government of India so wishes. I am sure that the Maharashtra government will be willing to cooperate in the restoration and preservation of the historic ship. “
Chaturvedi noted that a sea harrier monument was recently dedicated to Mumbai with the aim of motivating young people to serve the nation.
He said the monument keeps Viraat’s legacy alive.
Viraat, the world’s oldest warship that was decommissioned by the Indian Navy three years ago, arrived off the coast of Alang in Gujarat to be decommissioned in September this year.
The warship, which was incorporated into the Indian Navy in 1987, was purchased by the Shree Ram Group for a sum of Rs 38.54 crore at an auction in July this year.
Chaturvedi further said that an INS Mumbai model was also dedicated to the city of Mumbai in Worli.
“Let Viraat be a living, vibrant and thriving monument of nationalism, patriotism and Indian pride. Let’s be preservatives rather than destroyers of our rich history, ”he said.
Although there is an offer to convert the warship into a museum, it awaits a Certificate of No Objection from the Ministry of Defense for the transfer of the ship, he wrote.
“Giving the NoC would help save the ship. We must use our decommissioned warships to help citizens better understand the importance of India’s maritime history, ”said Chaturvedi.
Viraat holds the record for being the oldest warship in the world.
It was the second centaur-class aircraft carrier to serve with the Indian Navy for 29 years before being decommissioned in March 2017.
There have been proposals in the past to preserve it as a maritime museum.
In July 2019, the central government said in Parliament that the decision to remove Viraat was made in consultation with the Indian Navy.
It is the second aircraft carrier to break down in India. In 2014, Vikrant was dismantled in Mumbai.
In November 2018, the government of Maharashtra approved an estimate of Rs 852 million for the ambitious maritime museum project, which would be located in the Sindhudurg district along the state’s Konkan coastal belt.
In May 2019, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) issued Expressions of Interest (EOI) to convert Viraat into an integrated tourism facility and operate it on the basis of a public-private partnership (APP).
However, there were no stakeholders in the project.
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