The hostel complex of B J Medical College, which was severely damaged in last year’s Air India plane crash, will be rebuilt as an ultra-modern facility at a cost of ₹105 crore, Gujarat health minister Praful Pansheriya announced on Tuesday.
The Tata Group, which owns Air India, has agreed to pay ₹53.12 crore to the state government for the damage caused to the ‘Atulyam’ 1 to 4 hostel blocks, the minister said. A structural audit conducted after the tragedy had declared the buildings unsafe, making demolition unavoidable.
On June 12 last year, London-bound Air India flight AI-171 crashed into the medical hostel complex in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar area moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The disaster claimed the lives of 241 people on board and 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.
Pansheriya said the health department sought compensation from the Tata Group, which had responded positively and agreed to clear the entire amount shortly.
“To ensure that students’ accommodation facilities are not disrupted, the state government, under the guidance of chief minister Bhupendra Patel, has decided to construct the new hostel on a priority basis,” he added.
The new G+8 structure, proposed as the ‘Atulyam 1 to 7’ complex, will accommodate 236 doctors, including 144 additional seats planned over the next three years. It will feature studio apartments, a super-specialty hostel block, a modern canteen, a sub-station, basement parking, a gymnasium, and separate areas for unmarried students.
A budgetary provision of ₹34.65 crore has already been made for the financial year 2026-27 against an estimated initial allocation of ₹51.84 crore, and the land has been earmarked for construction.
Meanwhile, the official probe into the plane crash is nearing completion. Union civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu had stated on May 8 that the final investigation report is likely to be released within a month.
