MUMBAI, July 16: The ambitious Rs 76-crore plan to convert the Vikrant into a maritime museum will be executed with the help of foreign consultants.``We can tell how long the dry docking and renovation (of the Vikrant) will take since we regularly undertake these operations. But as we don't have expertise on converting the ship into a museum, we will have to hire foreign experts,'' stated an official.The navy has zeroed in on the Texas-based retired Admiral Jamie Scott to execute the project. Admiral Scott helped convert the US Navy's aircraft carrier USS Lexington into a maritime museum at Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1996. Scott is currently working as a consultant on a project to convert the USA's first supercarrier the USS Forrestal into a museum in Philadelphia. The Admiral's firm, Scott Consultants, will provide consultancy services for the Vikrant project for carrying out a detailed study to assess the cost estimates and project schedules. Consultancy fees have been worked out at approximately Rs 1crore.
The state government has stated that the crucial Rs 5 crore for immediately dry docking the Vikrant would be made available soon. ``Since we have committed ourselves to the project, we cannot back out,'' said State Trade and Commerce Minister Pramod Navalkar. The CM is keen on implementing the project and organising funds should not be a problem, he stated.
The government will also set up a Vikrant Project Committee to examine all aspects of converting the warship into a maritime museum. It will comprise state government officials, bureaucrats, technical experts and representatives from the navy and port trust. A meeting of the state government's panel headed by Nalinakshan would be called next week. The committee, comrpsing MbPT Deputy Chairperson Rajiv Sinha and the navy's Commodore I K Saluja was set up by the state government earlier this year to speed up the Vikrant proposal.
However, rumbles of dissent against the project have already begun. The Akhil Maharashtra Machchimar Kriti Samitihave threatened to stage dharnas in Colaba opposing the choice of the Jamshedji Bunder site.
Samiti president Damodar Tandel said grouting the Vikrant near the Radio Club would affect the livelihood of small fishermen. He urged the government to look at the alternative sites near the MbPT's botanical garden behind the Colaba bus station or the Oyster Rock site.
(Visit the Vikrant webiste at www.expressindia.com.poll.vikrant)
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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