MUMBAI– Tata Sons has officially registered a Rs 500 crore public charitable trust in Mumbai to support those affected by the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad on June 12, which resulted in the loss of 260 lives.
Named The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust, the fund will provide both immediate and ongoing support to the families of the deceased, individuals who were injured, and others directly or indirectly affected by the disaster. According to a company statement, the trust will also offer assistance to first responders, medical personnel, disaster relief workers, social workers, and government staff who provided critical support in the aftermath of the accident, including help for those suffering from trauma or distress.
Tata Sons and Tata Trusts have jointly pledged Rs 500 crore, with each contributing Rs 250 crore. The trust’s philanthropic initiatives will include ex-gratia payments of Rs 1 crore to the families of those who lost their lives, funding for the medical treatment of the seriously injured, and financial support for rebuilding the B.J. Medical College Hostel, which was damaged during the incident.
The trust will be governed by a five-member Board of Trustees. The first two trustees named are S. Padmanabhan, a longtime Tata Group veteran, and Sidharth Sharma, General Counsel at Tata Sons. Additional trustees will be appointed soon. Tata Sons noted that the trust will be fully funded and begin operations in earnest once tax registration and other procedural requirements are completed.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry, criticizing the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The FIP contends that the report fails to sufficiently explore two credible and previously documented technical scenarios that may have caused both engines on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to shut down automatically. The group has called for more subject matter experts to be included in the ongoing investigation.
In a related statement, the pilots’ association ALPA-India defended the crew of Flight AI-171, saying they took every possible action to safeguard passengers and minimize ground impact. The organization emphasized that the crew deserves respect, not speculative or unfounded criticism, stating, “The crew of AI-171 made every possible effort—till their very last breath—to protect the passengers on board and minimize harm on the ground. They deserve respect, not unfounded character judgments.” (Source: IANS)
