The on Tuesday sanctioned the remaining 55% professional fee, i.e., Rs 38,94,000, as a final payment to Master & Associates, Architects, Interior Designers & Project Management Consultants, Mumbai.
The firm was appointed in 2017 as the consultant for preparation of detailed project reports and detailed cost estimates for refurbishment and conversion of INS Viraat into a multipurpose tourism destination with a hotel-cum-convention centre and naval maritime museum.
However, the project was shelved due to various reasons. The state government already paid Rs 31.86 lakh out of the Rs 70.8 lakh professional fee (including 18% GST) and has sanctioned the remaining amount.
The state government showed keen interest to turn INS Viraat into a major tourist hub by placing it in Visakhapatnam or some other coastal city. But due to various reasons, the project has not made any headway. INS Viraat, the second Centaur-class aircraft carrier in service which spent 30 years in the INDIAN NAVY and 27 years in the Royal Navy, was decommissioned in March 2017. A private organisation purchased the ship for Rs 35 crore and started dismantling it.
The state government showed a keen interest to turn INS Viraat into a major tourist hub by placing it in Visakhapatnam or some other coastal city.