Tata Sons sets up charitable trust for AI-171 victims

Tata Sons on Friday formalised and completed the registration of a public charitable trust in Mumbai, dedicated to the victims of the unfortunate accident of Air India plane AI-171 in Ahmedabad. The Trust will be called ‘The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust’.

“The Trust will provide both immediate and continuing support to the dependents/next-of-kin of the deceased, to those who were injured, and to all others who are directly or collaterally affected by the accident,” Tata Sons said in a statement.

“The Trust will also provide aid and assistance for alleviation of any trauma or distress suffered by the first responders, medical and disaster relief professionals, social workers and governmental staff who provided invaluable institutional support and service in the aftermath of the accident,” it said.

Tata Sons and Tata Trusts have together pledged to contribute ₹500 crore (with both committing ₹250 crore each) for the Trust’s philanthropic objectives, which will include ex-gratia payment of ₹1 crore for those deceased, medical treatment of those who suffered serious injuries, and support for rebuilding the B.J. Medical College Hostel infrastructure which was damaged in the accident.

The Trust will be managed and administered by a 5-member Board of Trustees. The initial two trustees appointed to the Board are: S. Padmanabhan, a former Tata veteran and Sidharth Sharma, Tata Sons’ General Counsel. Additional trustees will be appointed shortly, the holding company of the Tata group said.

“The Trust will be funded and will commence its work in all earnestness after necessary registration with the Tax authorities and other operational formalities, currently underway, are completed,” said Tata Sons.

This comes days after Air India CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson wrote to employees in an internal note that Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report on the fatal Ahmedabad air crash involving Air India flight AI171 found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines.

“There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status,” Wilson said, adding that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed.

“The preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over. We will continue to co-operate with the investigators to ensure they have everything they need to conduct a thorough and comprehensive enquiry,” Wilson said.

The AAIB’s preliminary report came a month after the tragic crash on June 12 that killed all but one of the 242 people on board and 20 others in a medical college hostel where the aircraft crashed.

The Ahmedabad air crash marks the first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has met with a deadly accident.

Soon after the crash, Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata had expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.