Seven-block doctors’ hostel planned at AI171 crash site

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat govt announced on Tuesday that a new hostel complex equipped with state-of-the-art facilities like a modern mess, gymnasium, recreation room and attractive landscaping will be constructed at the site where the ill-fated Air India plane crashed on June 12 last year, killing 260 persons, including passengers and those present on the ground at the crash site.

State health minister Praful Pansheriya told TOI that Tata Airlines has provided the state govt with a sum of Rs 53.12 crore for the project, and the remaining amount will be borne by the govt, for which a budgetary allocation has already been made.

“The tender for construction of the new hostel complex will be completed in the coming weeks and we expect the hostel complex to be completed within a period of one year,” Pansheriya said.

Instead of the four blocks of Atulyam Hostel Complex located in the New Mental Hospital campus in Meghaninagar, which were severely damaged in the crash, a total of 7 blocks will be constructed, each being a G + 8-storeyed structure, the govt said.

A structural audit of the four hostel blocks, canteen and a substation building said the structures were unsafe for habitation, making demolition unavoidable.

“When completed, the project will accommodate a total of 236 doctors, including super-speciality doctors and students, over the next three years,” the minister said, adding that the seven blocks will come up over the plot of land that has been allocated for educational purposes.

“The design for the hostel blocks and the substation has already been prepared. “Tendering process will be initiated soon,” Pansheriya said, adding that each flat will be designed in a studio apartment style, featuring a living room with an attached kitchen, one bedroom and toilet facilities.

The govt said that students residing in the campus will have amenities like a spacious basement parking facility, separate accommodation for unmarried PG students, a modern mess, gymnasium, recreation room and attractive landscaping.

Meanwhile, some families of the AI171 aeroplane crash victims have approached the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Govt of India against the move. According to an email sent on Tuesday, they have asked the site to be earmarked for those who have lost lives in the incident.

“We respectfully but firmly request that the site be preserved as a memorial space dedicated to the victims, rather than being immediately repurposed or redeveloped into another public facility,” read the email.

“A memorial would serve not only as a place of remembrance for families, but also as a permanent public acknowledgement of the lives lost and the importance of accountability and safety,” it added. “We ask the govt and responsible authorities to consult affected families before making irreversible decisions regarding the future of this location.”

Pansheriya said that a suggestion has been made from certain quarters that a memorial be constructed at the crash site as a remembrance for the victims. “But the govt has been clear that the plot of land is to be used for educational purposes only,” he stated.

On June 12 last year, flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 242 persons on board and 18 others on the ground.