Save INS Viraat from dismantling: Shiv Sena writes to Centre

The ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on Monday urged the Centre to grant a No Objection Certificate NOC for the transfer of the decommissioned aircraft carrier Viraat being dismantled at Alang in Gujarat to convert it into a museumIn a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh party MP and spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi stated It would be a crying shame if we let go our history without giving the benefit of knowledge to our future generationrdquoShiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi writes to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh requesting immediate intervention to grant NOC no objection certificate to preserve INS Viraat pictwittercomdYhoefYN1zmdash ANI ANI December 14 2020Viraats preservation is well merited and deserving of strong consideration It can be saved if the Government of India so desires I am certain that the Maharashtra Government will be ready to cooperate in restoring and preserving the historic shiprdquo he addedChaturvedi pointed out that a sea harrier monument was recently dedicated to Mumbai with an aim to motivate the youth to serve the nationShe said the monument keeps the legacy of Viraat aliveViraat the worlds longest serving warship that was decommissioned by the Indian Navy three years ago arrived off the Alang coast in Gujarat for dismantling in September this yearThe warship which was inducted into the Indian Navy in 1987 was purchased by Shree Ram Group for a sum of Rs 3854 crore at an auction in July this yearChaturvedi further said a model of INS Mumbai was also dedicated to the city of Mumbai at WorliLet Viraat be a living breathing and thriving memorial of Indias nationalism patriotism and pride Let us be preservers than destroyers of our rich history she saidThough there is an offer to convert the warship into a museum it awaits a No Objection Certificate from the Defence Ministry for transfer of the ship she wroteGranting the NoC would help save the ship We must use our decommissioned naval ships to help citizens better understand the significance of Indias maritime history Chaturvedi statedViraat holds the record for being the worlds longest serving warshipIt was the second centaurclass aircraft carrier which was in service with the Indian Navy for 29 years before being decommissioned in March 2017There were proposals in the past to preserve it as a maritime museumIn July 2019 the Central government said in Parliament that the decision to scrap Viraat was taken in due consultation with the Indian NavyIt is the second aircraft carrier to be broken down in India In 2014 Vikrant was dismantled in MumbaiIn November 2018 the Maharashtra government cleared an estimate of Rs 852 crore for the ambitious maritime museum project which was to be located in Sindhudurg district along the coastal Konkan belt of the stateIn May 2019 the Maharashtra Maritime Board MMB floated Expressions of Interest EOI for converting Viraat into an integrated tourism facility and for operating it on a PublicPrivate Partnership PPP basisHowever there were no takers for the projectKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever