Vijayawada: The AP government has plans to turn the Navy's warship INS Viraat, which would be decommissioned soon, into a tourism centre at Vizag. There are plans to establish a restaurant too on the warship.
The defence ministry has decided to decommission the warship and the state government has requested the officials to allot INS Viraat to Andhra Pradesh. The defence ministry has agreed to to our request formally.
Only the process of allocation is remaining, said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Speaking to mediapersons at his camp office here on Monday, the chief minister said that nearly 1,500 rooms, a conference hall with a capacity to seat 500 people and a helipad are available in the warship.
The warship-turned-tourist centre will get good response from the public. There is another proposal to convert it into a museum at Vizag, he said and added that the state government has requested the defence ministry for allotment at the International Fleet Review- 2016.
He said that the successful completion of IFR has helped Vizag get recognition as the Naval Capital of India. For the first time, the President of India and Prime Minister also received the guard of honour from various countries including the US, Russia, China, Japan and others.
Mr Naidu said the AP government would establish ports in various cities across the coast and that they would play a crucial role in the development of the state.
