As retired Indian Navy warship INS Viraat heads to a ship breaking yard in Gujarat, calls for preserving the iconic vessel are growing louder. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has written to Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh urging him to help in making INS Viraat a memorial.
In her letter, Chaturvedi requested Rajnath Singh to help in getting a 'no-objection certificate' from the Defence ministry which is needed by the Alang-based ship-breaker firm.
"I urge him to let INS Viraat be a living, breathing and thriving memorial of India’s nationalism, patriotism and pride. We owe this responsibility to our children. Let us be preservers than destroyers of our rich history," Priyanka Chaturvedi said in her letter.
"INS Viraat, the flagship of the Indian Navy till 2013 has served the nation for almost 30 years. INS Viraat is a historic ship that has spanned the history of naval architecture from World War II and also served as the foundation of Indian naval power. INS Viraat proved pivotal in Operation Jupiter and was deployed during Operation Parakram following the terror attack on the Indian Parliament, we commemorated the incident just yesterday, 13th December," she added.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has written to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to help save INS Viraat.
Private firm Envitech has shown interest in acquiring the warship. It wants to convert it into a maritime museum off Goa, and has even approached the Supreme Court for help in securing an NOC from the Defence Ministry.
INS Viraat was purchased by ship-breaker company Shree Ram shipbreakers for Rs 35.8 crore, and the firm has refused to entertain several pleas to stop dismantling of the ship without an NOC from the government.
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