Don’t Erase the Memory: Gujarat to Rebuild BJ Medical College Hostel, AI-171 Families Demand Memorial

The Gujarat government has reaffirmed its decision to rebuild the BJ Medical College hostel complex that was destroyed in the Air India Flight AI-171 crash, even as victims’ families intensify their demand that the site be preserved as a memorial instead of being redeveloped.

Officials said the damaged Atulyam hostel blocks (1–4) will be demolished and replaced with a seven-block ultra-modern hostel complex at an estimated cost of around Rs 103–105 crore . The redevelopment plan aims to restore and expand essential residential infrastructure for doctors and medical students at the campus.

The new facility is expected to accommodate around 236 to 292 medical residents and doctors , including married occupants, with studio-style apartments equipped with kitchen facilities. The project will also include a canteen, sub-station building, basement parking, gymnasium, recreation areas, and landscaped open spaces, marking a major upgrade in campus infrastructure.

Officials said a post-crash structural audit found the existing buildings unsafe, making demolition unavoidable. The state government has already made a budgetary provision of about Rs 34.65 crore for 2026–27, while the Tata Group , which owns Air India, has agreed to contribute approximately Rs 53.12 crore towards damage compensation related to the affected hostel infrastructure.

However, families of victims have written to authorities through legal representatives, urging that the crash-hit site not be fully redeveloped. In their communications, they described the location as a “space of memory and reflection” , saying it represents grief, loss, and remembrance, and should instead be transformed into a permanent memorial honouring those who died.

They have also sought consultation before any irreversible decisions are taken regarding the site, arguing that development should not come at the cost of erasing collective memory.

The crash occurred shortly after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport when the London-bound Air India flight struck the medical hostel complex in Meghaninagar, killing 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground, with only one survivor reported.