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The Rediff Interview/Damodar Tandel

'We also want to save the Vikrant'

The controversy over saving the decommissioned INS Vikrant has taken a new twist, with the fishermen accusing the state government of projecting them as the villains in the episode. Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti leader Damodar Tandel told Swati Kulkarni that the fishermen were as patriotic as anyone else. Excerpts:

Why are opposing the project to convert Vikrant into a war memorial?

We are not opposing the project, though this is what Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has been telling the media.

Then who is opposing it?

Some vested interests who do not want the project to come up in their backyard.

Which is the best site for berthing the ship?

Pilot Bunder is the most appropriate site. That is the last stop for BEST buses in Colaba, and it is near Sassoon Dock. Moreover, there is a very beautiful botanical garden nearby, which could add to the tourist attraction. Of the 10 places surveyed by Tata Consultancy Services, it short-listed three. Of these, the navy and the Bombay Port Trust objected to the Oyster Rock site. Berthing the ship at Jamshedji Bunder would have cost the least. We have no objection if the ship is berthed midway between Jamshedji Bunder and the Gateway of India. But everyone knows who will object if the ship is berthed near the Gateway of India.

So you wholeheartedly support the project?

No. Do you think it is right to set up casinos on the battleship, which has served our nation gloriously? That being the case, they could have docked the ship near Carter Road, Madh Island and such places where rich people live.

The state government has offered your youth jobs on the ship.

Our children hardly get any education. Most are engaged in the family occupation of fishing. What work will they do on the Vikrant?

Why are you being blamed for the impasse?

We too are patriotic. We want the Vikrant to be saved and converted into a museum. But we insist that the project should not affect our business. The sea is all around Bombay. Then why insist on one particular spot. They cite technical reasons. Actually, commercial interests are dictating the government's stand. It is wrong to project us as the villains of the piece.

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