Work on maritime museum progressing well: shipping minister

Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday that work on the ambitious Rs 500 crore maritime heritage complex at Lothal in Gujarat was progressing well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the project in March this year.

"The Lothal Maritime Heritage Complex, once completed, will showcase the maritime strength of ancient India," Mandaviya said at the 70th foundation day of Directorate General of Shipping here. In 2016, Modi had asked the shipping ministry to build a huge maritime heritage complex at Lothal.

Lothal was chosen as it has lots of archaeological remains and was a center of maritime activities during the Harappan era. The museum project is being implemented by the Union Shipping Ministry under the Sagarmala program, with the involvement of the Archaeological Survey of India, the Gujarat government and other stakeholders.

The minister also said the industry should look at various avenues like building barges if they feel there is no growth in ship-building business. "Apart from this, ship repairing and maintenance, along with ship recycling and ship-breaking are other businesses which can be explored," he added.