No museum, INS Viraat to be sold as scrap

Shiv Kumar

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Tribune News Service

Mumbai, July 13

India’s second aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, is all set to be sold as scrap after the Maharashtra government failed to turn it into a maritime museum.

After several attempts to get private bidders to jointly develop INS Viraat into the country’s first-ever moored maritime museum-cum-hospitality facility failed, the state government has given up all efforts, according to officials here.

The Devendra Fadnavis government had last November sought to set up the facility off the Sindhudurg coast and had even earmarked a sum of Rs 852 crore for the purpose.

However, despite several efforts no bidder showed interest in developing the facility, according to Maharashtra government officials. “We have not received a single bid so far,” said a source from the Maharashtra Maritime Board which was to develop the project.

Recently, Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik told Parliament that the Central government in consultation with the Indian Navy has taken a decision to sell INS Viraat as scrap.

It will, however, be a while before INS Viraat meets the fate of its predecessor INS Vikrant which was broken up at a scrapyard.

Some retired naval personnel have suggested that INS Viraat be turned into a maritime museum off Colaba in south Mumbai.

The proposal envisages grouting the aircraft carrier on a bed of concrete before turning it into a tourist destination. However, similar attempts to salvage INS Vikrant too had failed. 

On INS Vikrant way 

• The British-made INS Viraat has been docked at the Mumbai harbour since its decommissioning on March 6, 2017 
• The Devendra Fadnavis govt had earmarked Rs 852 crore to turn the carrier into a tourist destination
• Similar attempts to salvage INS Vikrant had failed