New Delhi, Sept. 10 -- The Delhi government has initiated the process of setting up a State Disaster Emergency Relief Force (SDERF) to strengthen the Capital's disaster preparedness and response, following directions from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, officials said on Thursday.

This comes days after the Satya Niketan building collapse that killed seven people and injured several others. A five-storey boys' paying guest accommodation came down during repair work, triggering a prolonged search-and-rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), MCD, CATS and Civil Defence.

During a meeting with senior NDRF officials at the Delhi Secre...