Karnataka proposes INS Viraat Aircraft Carrier Museum in Mangaluru

MANGALURU: INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier commissioned in 1987, may be brought to Mangaluru to set up an Aircraft Carrier Museum if a proposal in this regard was approved. Dakshina Kannada district sent a proposal to the government of Karnataka with reference to a letter from Rear Admiral SN Ghormade, Flag Officer Commanding, Headquarters, Karnataka Naval Area, Karwar, for the setting up of Aircraft Carrier Museum for INS Viraat at Mangaluru after decommissioning of the ship. Mangaluru has been identified as ideal location in West Coast for INS Viraat Museum as the city has five lakh population and 20 lakh in district. The Ministry of Defence has plans to decommission INS Viraat, which served the nation for 56 years after its commissioning on May 2, 1987. The ministry has plans to convert the ship into museum after the decommissioning in 2016. While Andhra Pradesh and Goa are also in the race to bring the project to their respective states, principal secretary to Karnataka infrastructure development Vanditha Sharma has sought an opinion from Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner AB Ibrahim. Ibrahim said a letter expressing district's interest in bringing INS Viraat as Aircraft Carrier Museum on the shores of Mangaluru has been sent to state chief secretary Kaushik Mukherjee. "Mangaluru is an ideal location in the Western Coast and well connected via rail, road, sea and air network to rest of the world. The Mangaluru Port with history of more than 2,000 years, known as a good naval facility with naval warfare of Dutch, Portuguese, British, with local Raja's including Rani Abbakka of Ullal, Tippu Sultan of Mysore etc. If the museum is set up in Mangaluru, it will create curiosity towards defence forces and help to raise patriotism among the youths of the region," Ibrahim said quoting his letter to Mukherjee. "Coastline and the banks Gurupura and Netravathi rivers encircling the Mangaluru City, will be an ideal location to the INS Viraat Aircraft Carrier Museum. It can be kept either on the Bengre Sand Pit area or in main land. Even a floating one can also be explored in the Netravathi River for the ship measuring approximately around 10,000 sq mts," Ibrahim said adding that the department of archeology or tourism may take up the responsibility of maintaining the museum. "I have requested the chief secretary to send the proposal to Flag Officer Commanding, Karnataka Naval Area and to the Ministry of Defence for setting up of the museum at Mangaluru at the earliest," the DC said. -TOI