Rs 547 crore medical hub announced for Ahmedabad Air India crash site

A year after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171 into the student hostels and mess buildings of the New Mental Campus in Ahmedabad, which resulted in 260 fatalities, the Gujarat government has announced a ₹547 crore redevelopment plan. Gujarat Health Minister Praful Panseria paid tribute to the victims and stated that the government aims to transform the site into a state-of-the-art sanctuary for health and education. Managed by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the 1,71,100-square-meter campus sits adjacent to the Asarwa Civil Hospital.

Before the disaster, the affected residential and hostel zone utilised roughly 14,470 square metres. The original infrastructure comprised:

• Staff Quarters: Six blocks of 3-BHK units (120 total) for teaching staff and six blocks of 2-BHK units (120 total) for non-teaching staff.
• Student Hostels: Two blocks containing 364 undergraduate rooms and seven blocks providing 161 married postgraduate units.
• Dining Facilities: A ground-plus-one mess and canteen building.

As part of the massive reconstruction blueprint, a modern dining facility designed to accommodate 800 students is being prioritised at an estimated cost of ₹10 crore.

June 12 crash in Ahmedabad

India witnessed a horrific aviation disaster on June 12 as Air India flight AI-171 crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The plane burst into flames after piercing through a medical college mess, where young doctors were having their meals. The Police have now confirmed that 265 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, which includes 5 MBBS students.

The crash that took place in Ahmedabad only saw one miracle survivor, Vishwaskumar Ramesh, who came out of the aircraft moments before it burst into flames. Speaking to state media Doordarshan, he said, “The side where I was sitting wasn't on the hostel side, it was the ground floor of the hostel. I don't know about others, but the place I was sitting that portion landed on the ground floor, and there was some space. As soon as my door broke, I saw that there was some space, and then I tried to get out, and I got out. There was a building wall on the opposite side, and the plane had crashed completely on that side, so probably that is why nobody could get out from that side. There was space only where I was. I don't know how I survived.”

A high-level government committee was formed to investigate the crash, and a thorough report on the incident will be recorded and to be submitted in 3 months. As of this date, the preliminary reports suggest that the fuel to the engine was cut off. From the recording retrieved from the cockpit, it appears that a conversation took place between the two pilots, and both responded negatively. This clarified that neither of them had turned off the fuel.