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Panel criticises govt for delaying INS Viraat's modernisation

Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence has criticised the government for the ''inappropriate'' time it has chosen to modernise India's lone aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat.

In its report on Monday, the committee said the modernisation should have been completed well before INS Vikrant's decommissioning in January 1997.

It deplored the government for failing to assess the magnitude of threats from the north Arabian Sea, which could disrupt oil flow, communications and other essential supplies.

Further, the committee also questioned the government's failure to realise that such threats could be countered only by possessing a floating airfield hundreds of miles into the sea in the form of an aircraft carrier with necessary support. Only such maritime hardware, it noted, could tilt the balance for India.

It strongly urged the government to commence the air defence ship project and complete the process of acquiring at least one more aircraft carrier.

UNI

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