Delhi Government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the east Delhi building collapse in which at least 67 people were killed even as a cautious MCD asked occupants of 38 “dangerous” buildings in the locality to move out.

The inquiry will be conducted by former Delhi High Court judge Justice Lokeshwar Prashad, top officials said.

They said the committee will look into all aspects of the incident, including any possible failure of institutional mechanism.

The terms of reference of the inquiry include making recommendations regarding the preventive and penal measures required to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

The decision to appoint the judicial inquiry was taken by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Government has asked Justice Prashad to file his report within three months.

Rains disrupt debris removal work at building collapse site

Meanwhile, the debris removal operations at collapse site was affected due to rains on Wednesday even as a cautious MCD asked occupants of 38 “dangerous” buildings in the locality to move out.

No bodies were recovered or survivors rescued since midnight from the building collapse site where 67 people lost their lives in the one of the worst tragedies in the capital in recent years.

Rescue workers continued to clear the debris and look for any survivors even as rain slowed down the pace of their work. Eighty-two people were injured in the incident, police said.

The MCD has, meanwhile, asked the occupants of as many as 38 “dangerous” buildings in the East Delhi area to evacuate immediately after a survey it conducted in the area following directions from Delhi Government.

“During a survey, basements of at least 38 buildings were found to be water-filled. We have issued them notice to vacate their houses immediately for their safety,” Municipal Corporation of Delhi spokesperson Deep Mathur said.

Anxious relatives continued to pour into the hospital and huddled in front of the list of survivors, scanning to find some familiar name while dreading to look at the photos of the dead.

Photographs of unidentified bodies were displayed in hospitals for relatives to identify them. Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at hospitals where relatives came to identify the victims.

Over 60 families, mostly labourers from West Bengal, were living in the cramped quarters of the 15-year-old building, where an illegal fifth floor was under construction.

Rescue workers from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire department, police, civil defence and locals were working together to remove tons of concrete from the spot and find trapped people.