SHAH ALAM: A three-month rental aid will be disbursed on Thursday to 396 households affected by the recent Putra Heights gas pipeline incident.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said that in addition to the financial aid, affected residents will also be briefed on the rehabilitation of homes damaged by the fire.
“This Thursday, we will call all affected residents so that we can hand over the rental assistance for the first three months.
“All 396 household heads are eligible for the financial aid based on the list of victims who applied,“ he said.
Amirudin said this in a press conference after a cooperation agreement signing ceremony between KDEB Waste Management and Nestlé Malaysia for the SELKitar Programme today.
The Menteri Besar had previously said that the 396 household heads affected by the Putra Heights fire incident are eligible to receive rental assistance for six months at a rate of RM2,000 per month.
On repairs of the affected homes, Amirudin said a preliminary briefing will be held this Thursday to provide residents a clearer picture of how the reconstruction project will be carried out.
He said that a proposal has already been submitted to the federal government regarding repairing damaged houses, which requires significant funding.
“We are waiting for the Cabinet’s decision because we’ve already submitted the proposal on how the repairs should be carried out. Once the Cabinet agrees, we will inform everyone.
“There are many factors to consider because the incident impacted the village and housing estate areas, requiring different approaches. That’s why we mentioned it would take one to two weeks to provide a clear explanation,“ he said.
Yesterday, residents expressed frustration over the lack of information on home repairs 20 days after the incident.
On April 18, Amirudin said a briefing on the reconstruction of the affected homes would be held within two weeks.
The April 1 fire wrecked 81 homes, with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent. Another 81 were partially damaged, 57 were affected but not burned, while 218 homes remained unaffected, including those in Kampung Tengah, Puchong.
