TN govt sets up panel to fix blame for building collapse

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday constituted a one-man commission of inquiry into the Saturday's under-construction 11-storeyed building collapse at suburban Moulivakkam in Porur area even as the death toll in the tragedy touched 61. The rescue operations will continue till Friday evening.

The commission, headed by justice R Regupathy, would thoroughly investigate all aspects and the circumstances of the building collapse. It will also identify and fix blame on those responsible for the tragedy, recommend future course of action to prevent such incidents and submit a report to the government. In addition, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had started inspection of nearly 700 high-rise buildings to detect if they have any structural defects.

As many as 19 special teams have been formed to inspect 350 multi-storeyed buildings and an equal number of special buildings–those built for commercial and educational purposes–that are under construction. Each teams would have three planners (an assistant planner and two planning assistants).

A senior CMDA official said the team will go to each and every building and inspect all safety aspects besides checking whether the promoter/builder had obtained proper planning permission. “The inspection drive is expected to be completed in 30 to 40 days.

Then the team would submit a comprehensive report to the high authorities,” he said.

Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 61, with the retrieval of 13 bodies, including that of a 10-year old boy, since last night. Fire service rescue team sources said that among the deceased were 41 men, 18 women and a the boy. A total of 27 people have been rescued. The National Disaster Response Force DIG  S P Selvan said rescue operations were expected to be completed by Friday evening.