The minister conveyed his request to senior officials of the MbPT including Chairman Arun Kumar Mago and Deputy Chairman R R Sinha, after visiting the site selected for permanently berthing the navy's decommissioned aircraft carrier Vikrant. The minister was accompanied by Cultural Affairs Minister Pramod Navalkar and Mumbai BJP unit chief Kirit Somaiya and senior port trust officials.

During his day-long visit to the city on Monday, Pradhan met Chief Minister Manohar Joshi at the state government's guest house, Sahyadri. In the meeting which also included the two senior port trust officials, the CM apprised the surface transport minister of the delays in clearance of the Rs 70 crore project. While the project has been speedily cleared for conversion into a naval museum and helipad by the state government and theIndian Navy, it is presently languishing at the locational clearance stage for over a year and a half.

``The CM said that the state government would conduct the studies about the navigational and operational impact on the site and the port trust should merely grant locational clearance to the project,'' Principal Secretary (Urban Development) K Nalinakshan told Express Newsline. According to state government officials, while the two port trust officials seemed reluctant at first, they seemed convinced after a visit to the site along with the minister.The MbPT owns the entire eastern seafront of the city.

State government officials say the reluctance of the port trust officials to part with the Radio Club site for the Vikrant is rooted in the belief that it will be converted into a bustling water transport terminal. A site for the terminal is another long standing demand made to the MbPT by the state government.

Confirming that the minister had requested the port trust to expedite the siteclearance on priority, the MbPT Chairman said that the matter was before the sub-committee of the port trust. ``The sub-committee will shortly hold a meeting after which the report will be placed before the board,'' Mago said, adding that a decision would be taken by the MbPT trustees only after studying the sub-committee's report.

``We have asked the port trust not to club the proposal of a water transport terminal and the Vikrant together,'' Navalkar revealed. ``The Vikrant is to be turned into a museum of international fame and a tourist attraction in Mumbai.'' According to naval officials, the plates of the ship are being rapidly corroded and the former aircraft carrier is in urgent need of a last refit before being towed and berthed off the Radio Club.

The site has already been given a preliminary clearance by the Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station earlier this year.