Gujarat govt to rebuild Rs 105 crore hostel complex, canteen block at Air India plane crash site

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya on Wednesday said Tata Group, which owns Air India, will soon release Rs 53.12 crore to the Health Department to cover the damage caused to the ‘Atulyam 1 to 4 Blocks’ in the New Mental Campus near Civil Hospital, Asarwa, following the Ahmedabad plane crash.

According to a press release, Pansheriya explained that the Ahmedabad plane crash, which occurred in Meghaninagar on June 12, 2025, caused extensive damage to the ‘Atulyam 1 to 4’ blocks, the canteen, and the sub-station building, all of which were under the control of the Health Department.

At the time of the accident, a total of 92 students were residing in this hostel. A structural audit conducted following the crash declared these buildings unsafe for habitation, necessitating their demolition. To ensure that student accommodation facilities remain uninterrupted and to safeguard their interests, the Gujarat government has taken an immediate decision to construct a new hostel.

Sharing information regarding the new modern hostel to be built near the Civil Hospital campus, the Minister announced that a new state-of-the-art super-speciality hostel for married postgraduate (PG) doctors will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 105 crore within the New Mental Campus, adjacent to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Asarwa.

With a view to adding 48 new super-speciality seats in the medical field, plans have been formulated to accommodate a total of 236 super-speciality PG doctors, including 144 students, over the next three years.

Under this project, a new super-speciality hostel block will be constructed within the New Medical Campus (IGP Compound) in Meghaninagar; additionally, a modern canteen block and a new electrical sub-station will also be built. The State Government has allocated a substantial parcel of land for this project, the release said.

To accelerate the execution of this initiative, a budgetary provision of Rs 34.65 crore has been sanctioned against an estimated cost of Rs 51.84 crore in the budget for the current financial year, 2026-27. Pansheriya affirmed that the State Government remains committed to further strengthening infrastructure within the health sector in the times to come.

The newly planned ‘Atulyam 1 to 7’ PG hostels will feature a G+8 (Ground plus eight floors) structural design, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities. This project includes residential arrangements for a total of 236 married super-speciality PG doctors.

Under this scheme, each unit will be designed in a studio apartment style, comprising a living room with an attached kitchen, a bedroom, and a restroom facility. Furthermore, essential security measures and basic utilities, such as a fire-fighting system, an RO (Reverse Osmosis) water purification plant, and a robust drainage system, have also been incorporated into the plan.

For the welfare of the students, the hostel campus plan also includes a spacious basement for parking, as well as separate residential quarters for unmarried PG students, a modern mess facility, a gymnasium, a recreation room, and aesthetically pleasing landscaping. (ANI)