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Journalism of Courage
MUMBAI, MAY 12: In a decision that could sail the decommissioned naval ship INS Vikrant safely through inclement weather it is now facing, the Indian Navy has approached the Gujarat Government to help convert the ship into a maritime museum in a bid to suspend its scrapping.
“The Navy has decided to wait until December,” P K Lahiri, Principal Secretary to the Gujarat Chief Minister, told The Indian Express. “They have also indicated that dry-docking of the ship needs to be done at the earliest and the state government will have to pay around Rs 7 crore for the purpose.”
The proposal was mooted by Vice Admiral Madhavendra Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command to S P Sharma, special secretary to the Governor, who in turn wrote a letter to the state Government earlier this week.
Lahiri said that the proposal had been forwarded to the tourism department since the project was connected with the hospitality industry. He, however, noted that though the state had the country’slongest coastline, it lacked the large port cities like Mumbai and Chennai.
UNI adds from Gandhinagar that Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel confirmed that the Navy had mooted the proposal before the special secretary of the Gujarat Governor that the state take over Vikrant.
However, Patel said the proposal to acquire the ship and convert it into a maritime museum was at a `preliminary stage’, adding that he had asked the officials to get in touch with the Maharashtra Government.
