An 11-member inquiry committee, headed by former chief secretary SN Roy, was constituted by the West Bengal government today to probe the fire which broke out on March 23 in the 6-storey building.
Nine more bodies were found today during clearing of debris almost a week after a fire devastated the two top floors of Stephen Court building on Park Street, taking the toll to 43.
Two charred bodies were found in the early hours, followed by seven later in the day from the fifth floor where a stench continued to prevail, additional director general (fire service), Debapriya Biswas told PTI.
Joint commissioner of police (Hqs), Jawed Shamim said, "The search operation is continuing and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination."
An 11-member inquiry committee, headed by former chief secretary SN Roy, was constituted by the West Bengal government today to probe the fire which broke out on March 23 in the 6-storey building. It would submit its report in three months.
Though the commissioner of Kolkata police Gautam Mohan Chakraborty had earlier said that FIRs were filed for 37 missing persons, the recovery of 43 bodies added to the confusion over establishing identity.
At the state-run SSKM hospital morgue four bodies were identified during the day.
Pankaj Ghosh, the father of 21-year-old Pritish Ghosh who worked in a call centre at the building identified his only son's body from the ID card and mobile phone on the body.
On the day of the fire he had telephoned home to shriek, 'I can't stand it anymore', before his mobile phone went dead, his father said. Bidyut Acharjee from Burdwan was identified from a photo debit card.
The uncle of Arati Sharma identified the body of his niece from the yellow top and jeans she was wearing.
Eight families gave blood samples for DNA tests at the hospital.
The police commissioner told reporters, that he held a meeting with representatives of CESC and the Kolkata Municipal
for allowing residents of Stephen Court into their flats.
Residents would also have to sign a bond for using two of the lifts in the building.
The police chief said, "Among the four lifts in the building, the condition of lift no 1 and 2 is bad and permission for their use cannot be given till they are properly tested.
"We will inspect lift No 3 and 4, but residents will have to give a bond before using them."
He said that DNA tests would be done on the nine bodies found during the day.
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