Joining the public outcry against selling of decommissioned first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy INS Vikrant as scrap, Visakhapatnam West MLA Malla Vijay Prasad has demanded that the historic ship be brought to the city and converted into a museum.
The first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy is a symbol of courage and had played a vital role in protecting the nation’s maritime interests. It had a vital role in many battles, especially in the Indo-Pak War of 1971, he recalled.
It was our national heritage and a war memorial. Auctioning of INS Vikrant to be broken down as scrap was a ‘national shame’ he said. “While all over the world, war memorials are preserved, it is a matter of shame that we are destroying them,” the MLA said.
He demanded that the Indian Government bring the decommissioned heritage ship to Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, and have it converted into a museum on lines of the first submarine museum in the country – INS Kursura.
