New Delhi, July 30 - Indian Navy Thursday contested an audit report on the exorbitant pricing and low capability of a Russian aircraft carrier it has purchased, saying that the deal had been concluded in all 'seriousness'.

'You tell me, if one can get me an aircraft carrier for less than $2 billion I will sign a cheque right here,' Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta retorted when asked to comment on a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report questioning the purchase of the Admiral Gorshkov.

The original deal, signed in 2004, was for India to pay $1.5 billion for the vessel, mothballed since a devastating fire in 1995. Of this, $948 million was to be spent on refitting the 45,000 tonne vessel and the balance on the MiG-29 combat jets and Kamov anti-submarine warfare helicopters that would be deployed on the ship.

Since 2007, however, Russia has steadily been asking for more money, saying the extent of repairs to the vessel had been grossly underestimated. Various reports say Russia is now asking for between $2.2 billion and $2.9 billion.

Protracted negotiations, even at the level of the Indian and Russian defence ministers have so far failed to resolve the impasse.

As for the CAG's adverse comments on the low capability of the carrier, Mehta said: 'I can assure you that there is nothing of this sort. The navy has looked at this ship for long.