It would be out of bound for public due to maintenance
India’s one and only floating museum – on boarddecommissioned aircraft carrier Vikrant – that has been attracting crowd overthe past few years during the Navy Week celebrations, would not be opened forpublic this time around, because of “maintenance issues.”
This has happened largely because of the apathy of theMaharashtra government, as its agencies have not been able to find suitablebidders for its permanent berthing.
Earlier INS Vikrant and now IMS Vikrant (Indian MuseumShip), this is the only of its kind of museum in this part of the globe, but itis unfortunate that this time during the December Navy Week celebrations, itwould be out of bound from the general public.
“There are certain maintenance issues and hence public wouldnot be allowed,” sources said.
The heroine of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation wascommissioned on January 31, 1997, but somehow things have not moved for itsconversion into a full-fledged museum and permanent berthing. She occupies anoperational berth off the Indira Docks and her hull requires regular maintenance.“She is a big ship and maintaining and keeping her afloat is not an easytask... moreover the ship does have an emotional and heritage value for us,” anIndian Navy official said.
The Maharashtra government had accorded approval to convertVikrant into a modern museum under Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis andthe project will be implemented by Maharashtra Urban Infrastructure DevelopmentCompany Ltd.
She is to be permanently berthed off the Osyter Rock nearthe Radio Club alongside the Gateway of India, but since she was decommissioned– the maritime museum project has ran into rough weather several times.
INS Vikrant played a glorious role during the Indo-Pak warin 1971 that led to the liberation of Bangladesh, liberation of Goa in 1962 andthe Kutch operations in 1965. INS Vikrant which was formerly the Royal Navyship HMS Hercules, joined the Indian Navy in the sixties. Earlier, Sea Hawksused to fly from aboard the carrier, but in the eighties the flight deck wasredesigned and made adaptable to jump jet Sea Harriers.
The project faced rough weather several times includingprotests from environmentalists, by fisher folks of this island city and alsofinancial constraints of the Maharashtra government.
