SHAH ALAM: SHAH ALAM: All individuals affected by the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights and currently staying at the Dewan Camelia temporary relief centre (PPS) have been cleared to return home. The centre will officially close tonight.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari also announced that residents at the Masjid Putra Heights PPS would be allowed to return home in stages by the end of the week.
“The decision was made to allow residents whose homes sustained minor damage to return, while those with more severe damage would undergo further assessment,” he said during a press conference at the Selangor State Secretariat today..
“A standard aid package would be provided to assist with repair works, as recommended by the Recovery Committee,” he added.
Following minor repair works and technical assessments by the Fire and Rescue Department, 270 homes have been declared safe for reoccupation.
“Water and electricity supply will be restored to these homes, and they are now deemed habitable,” Amirudin said.
As part of the recovery efforts, Amirudin announced a large-scale gotong-royong (communal cleanup) event scheduled for this weekend.
The initiative will involve the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), Persatuan Misi Kemanusiaan Selangor (Pantas), local councils, and volunteer groups including Team Selangor and Selangor Volunteer (Serve).
“The cleanup will focus on the 270 affected homes and will take place on Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
“Serve and Team Selangor will coordinate the work across two housing areas, with 1,000 volunteers expected to participate in clearing debris and preparing the homes for reoccupation,“ Amirudin said.
He added that the recovery efforts also include the disbursement of the first round of rental assistance for families still in temporary accommodations. This process is expected to be completed by next week.
To provide interim housing, 16 families have accepted temporary accommodations such as Airbnb units offered by the state, Amiruddin said.
Meanwhile, Amiruddin announced that all 56 state assemblymen — including those from the opposition — will each contribute RM200 towards recovery efforts in Putra Heights, following the recent gas explosion.
He also said that all state executive councillors (exco) will donate RM1,000 each to the “Tabung Prihatin” relief fund established for this purpose.
“Every state assemblyman will contribute, unless they choose to forgo their responsibility as an elected representative,” he added.
In addition, Selangor civil servants in Grade 48 positions and above will contribute RM50 each to the fund.
Amiruddin, who is also the Gombak MP, estimated that approximately RM102,050 will be raised through these collective contributions. The funds will go towards ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts in the affected areas.
The “Tabung Prihatin” was launched just two days after the explosion, which occurred on the second day of Hari Raya.
The blast caused severe damage to hundreds of homes in Putra Heights and displaced many residents.
Amirudin also announced that the Selangor Land and Mines Office will begin offering mobile services starting next Monday to assist residents who lost property documents in the recent explosion.
“This service will allow affected residents to obtain reprinted land titles free of charge,” he said.
For homes that sustained more than 40% structural damage, further discussions will be held with the Local Government Development Ministry (KPKT) next Monday to determine appropriate long-term solutions.
Regarding the ongoing investigation, Amirudin confirmed that 118 individuals have been summoned by the police, although details about their identities remain undisclosed.
The Petronas gas pipeline fire, which erupted on April 1, reached flames of over 30 metres high and temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius.
The fire took nearly eight hours to fully extinguish, affecting more than 400 homes in the area.
