Gandhinagar, March 18 Nine months after the crash of Air India flight AI-171 caused severe damage to the hostel complex of B J Medical College in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat government has decided to build a new hostel complex at the site.
The existing building in the Meghaninagar area, vacated after the catastrophic incident of June 12, 2025, will be demolished, and a new, larger hostel complex will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 103 crore, officials said on Wednesday.
The Tata Group, which owns Air India, has provided Rs 53 crore for the reconstruction, they said.
"We have decided to rebuild the hostel. The Tata Group had assured us that they would cover the costs, and they have already deposited the funds they had promised," said Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Rajeev Topno, on Wednesday.
He was addressing a press conference with Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheria regarding the allocations made for the department in the last month's budget.
The reconstruction is estimated to cost Rs 103 crore. P M Chaudhary, chief engineer of the Health Department's project management unit, said that the Tata Group has provided Rs 53 crore while the state has contributed Rs 50 crore.
Tenders will be invited soon, he said, expressing hope that the construction will begin in the next three months.
The present complex, which could accommodate nearly 100 students, will be demolished, and the new hostel will have the capacity to accommodate 292 students, Chaudhary said.
The hostel complex suffered extensive damage in the crash. While parts of it were hit by debris, a major portion was engulfed in fire, rendering the buildings unusable. The complex was vacated to facilitate an investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London with over 240 passengers and crew members on board, crashed shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, 2025.
The aircraft struck the hostel and canteen complex of the medical college. Four MBBS students and a doctor's wife were among the 260 people killed in the tragedy.
