IN JUST over two weeks, June 12 will mark one year since the Air India AI171 Ahmedabad crash shattered hundreds of families of the 260 victims – when flames tore through the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Meghaninagar, leaving behind twisted debris, burnt rooms, unfinished conversations and families that say time has not moved forward since.As the Gujarat government on Tuesday announced preparations to demolish the damaged hostel blocks and build a new Rs 105-crore residential complex at the site, grieving relatives of victims are making an emotional appeal – to not let the site disappear beneath concrete and reconstruction.For families still carrying the trauma of the crash, the land where the aircraft came down is not merely a redevelopment site, but a place forever tied to grief, memories and loss. In representations sent to authorities on Tuesday, relatives have urged the government to preserve at least a portion of the site as a memorial dedicated to those killed in the crash.Mukti Vansadiya, a 32-year-old resident of Surat, who lost her parents – Divya and Arjunsinh – in the crash said the request made by the families to construct a memorial was for “respect and dignity” to be accorded to those who died in the tragedy. Vansadiya told The Indian Express, “We are already fighting a battle against powerful corporate entities and other vested interests who are not allowing families to access the truth of the crash… All that we want is that our departed loved ones should be given dignity and respect. Handing out Rs 1 crore in compensation does not mean respect… I am willing to return the compensation in exchange for the dignity that my parents’ memory deserves.”Mukti, a former travel agency executive who quit her profession following her parents’ death in the crash, now works with a social outreach programme. She says, “All my life, I booked flight tickets and travel plans for clients… My parents were first-time travellers to London. After the crash, I could not continue in my profession. When the Tata Group offered me employment in their social outreach programme, I took it up to keep myself occupied. But when we seek this memorial, I am willing to let it all go… Everyone thinks that being alone, the compensation has made me self-sufficient… but no one understands the darkness of loneliness after losing family.”Mukti’s demand comes on a day when another London-based relative of a victim, who was travelling on the ill-fated flight, wrote an email marked to departments of health and urban development in the government of Gujarat, Ministry of Civil Aviation and other departments of the Ministry of Health. The email stated, “I write this not as a political voice, but as a member of a family directly affected by this tragedy.. For us, this place is not merely land or infrastructure. It is a site connected to lives, memories, grief, and irreversible loss… We respectfully but firmly request that the site be preserved as a memorial space dedicated to the victims, rather than being immediately repurposed or redeveloped into another public facility.”The email added, “A memorial would serve not only as a place of remembrance for families, but also as a permanent public acknowledgment of the lives lost and the importance of accountability and safety. Some places should remain spaces of memory and reflection. Erasing such a site too quickly risks erasing the human reality attached to it. We ask the government and responsible authorities to consult affected families before making irreversible decisions regarding the future of this location… This request comes from grief, dignity, and the hope that those lost will be remembered with respect.”Story continues below this adOn Tuesday, Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya announced that Tata Airlines would pay Rs 53.12 crore to the Health Department towards the damage caused to the ‘Atulyam 1 to 4’ hostel blocks, canteen and sub-station building at the New Mental Campus near Civil Hospital-Asarwa during the June 12, 2025 crash.The minister said the hostel buildings had suffered severe structural damage after the aircraft crashed into the Meghani Nagar campus while 92 students were residing there. A subsequent structural audit declared the buildings unsafe, making demolition unavoidable.Under the redevelopment plan approved by the state government under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a new G+8 ‘Atulyam 1 to 7′ Super Specialty PG Hostel complex will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 105 crore.The project will accommodate 236 super-specialty postgraduate doctors, who are married with families, and also include studio-style apartments, a modern canteen, essential safety and utility infrastructure such as a fire-fighting system, RO plant, and a robust drainage network. The hostel campus will also include a spacious basement parking facility, separate accommodation for unmarried PG students, a modern mess, gymnasium, recreation room, and attractive landscaping facilities.Story continues below this adThe project would also accommodate 144 students over the next three years, the government release said. The government has earlier approved an allocation of Rs 34.65 crore for the project in the 2026-27 budget to fast-track construction. Pansheriya further stated that the state government remains committed to strengthening healthcare infrastructure in the coming years.However, for several grieving families, the speed of redevelopment has intensified fears that the human memory of the tragedy may fade too quickly. Urging the government to “consult” those directly affected before taking “irreversible decisions”, Mukti said, “The decision of the state government is even more hurtful as it comes even before the cause of the crash has been determined… We have been fed the Western media narrative of deliberate pilot action and even before we find any closure, they are erasing the site as a whole… Currently, all victim families are with the pilots until the exact CVR or FDR data is released to prove the accusations. If they do not have the proof, even the victims’ families will hold the companies responsible for allowing the flight to fly when it had recorded technical faults before it was cleared…”A senior government official told The Indian Express that the appeal of the families brings a “difficult emotional conflict” but the future of the site “cannot be compromised”. The official said, “We understand the sentiments of the crash victims but it is important to rebuild critical medical infrastructure quickly as it is a significant parameter of public facilities in the state… The government may decide to include a memorial plaque or symbolic structure dedicated to the victims but this aspect has not yet been discussed in the scope of the project.”Ayush Dubey, Case Manager, Chionuma Law, which is representing more than 120 families of victims, who lost their lives in the crash said, “Many families have strongly urged for a memorial at the crash site to honour the 260 lives lost… They feel their loved ones should not be forgotten. It would be a meaningful way to honour the victims and show that their lives, their families and this tragedy will always be remembered.”