The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for refurbishing INS Viraat will be ready in a fortnight and it will be then submitted to the Union government.
The Andhra Pradesh government intends to convert the Navy’s warhorse aircraft carrier into a museum and a hotel in the sea, depending on the logistics.
The ship will be brought to Kakinada for refurbishment as soon as the DPR is approved by the Union government.
Representatives of Mumbai-based Master and Associates, which is preparing the DPR, are likely to meet Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the next couple of days to discuss “some key aspects” of the report.
In fact, the meeting was put on hold because of Mr. Naidu’s foreign tour.
Based on the suggestions and inputs by the Chief Minister, preparation of the DPR would be finalised, according to sources in the Secretariat.
“It would cost between ₹15 crore and ₹20 crore to bring INS Viraat from Mumbai to Kakinada,” the sources said.
According to the Navy, the ship cannot be dragged onto the land and has to be kept afloat.
