NEW DELHI: Throwing a lifeline to 62-year-old decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat, currently being taken apart at an Alang scrapyard, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stopped further dismantling of the warship on the plea of a private company which offered Rs 100 crore to buy back the ship and convert it into a museum and war memorial.
A bench of CJI SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian issued notices to Centre and the scrap dealer, Shree Ram Group, which had purchased the retired warship for nearly Rs 35 crore in auction and is dismantling it at the shipbreaking facility in Alang. India had acquired the aircraft carrier in 1986 and inducted it into the Indian Navy after an extensive refit.
Petitioner Envitech Marine Consultants Pvt Ltd had unsuccessfully moved the Bombay HC expressing its intent to preserve the warship as a museum and war memorial. The HC had left it to the Centre to grant no-objection certificate to the Alang-based shipbreaker for selling it to the company. The defence ministry on November 27 had rejected the plea. For the petitioner company, its MD Rupali Sharma said 25% of the ship was dismantled when the firm’s representatives inspected it last. The bench asked her how much the firm was willing to pay for the decommissioned aircraft carrier. Sharma said her firm could pay Shree Ram Group up to Rs 100 crore. Shree Ram Group MD Mukesh Patel had reportedly said he wanted Rs 125 crore for the ship and had expressed willingness to bring it down to Rs 100 crore.
While seeking response from the Centre and the shipbreaking company, the bench said, “Issue notice. In the meantime, parties are directed to maintain status quo with regard to dismantling/breaking of the subject-ship known as INS Viraat, as on date.”