AP to use INS Virat for tourism

The Andhra Pradesh government has urged the Centre to allot INS Virat that is soon to be decommissioned to the State so it could be utilized for maritime tourism, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has said. Chandrababu said in Vijayawada on Monday the aircraft carrier would be jointly organized by the Central and State governments and private partnership for Virat tourism. The expenditure would be huge but the income from tourism would be much higher. At any given time, the ship can hold 5000 people and planes can land and take off from it. It would be a golden opportunity for tourism, he added. Besides, deep water is available off Andhra Pradesh, and the government is preparing a plan to use the ship for deep sea tourism. Visakhapatnam was being developed as logistics hub, he added.