By Sofia Nasir
SHAH ALAM, April 6 — The state government will review the housing assistance plan for the victims of the Putra Heights gas pipeline fire incident, said Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari.
At present, only 178 units are being offered, with 100 of them coming from the Smart Sewa scheme in Kota Warisan, Sepang.
“But as the number of victims at the temporary relief centres (PPS) has now exceeded 500, we will reassess the housing assistance plan tomorrow. We will first complete the distribution of immediate aid.
[caption id="attachment_396279" align="alignleft" width="524"]
Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari speaks during a press conference after chairing the third meeting of the State Disaster Management Committee, at the the State Secretariat Building in Shah Alam on April 5, 2025. — Picture by AHMAD ZAKKI JILAN/MEDIA SELANGOR [/caption]
“If they (the victims) are not interested, we will find another formula. Because this is not an obligation — we are offering help. We will discuss this with Petronas," he said during a press conference yesterday.
Earlier, Amirudin chaired the third meeting of the State Disaster Management Committee, which was also attended by Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, at the State Secretariat Building.
On Friday (April 4), he announced that the state government was offering more than 100 temporary housing units to those affected by Tuesday's (April 1) incident.
The offer through the Smart Sewa scheme would be available as early as next week in Kota Warisan, while the remainder would be announced later.
Meanwhile, the Menteri Besar expressed his deepest appreciation for the presence of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, who graciously visited the victims yesterday morning.
The sovereign's presence, accompanied by the Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah, reflects His Majesty's deep concern for those affected.
“I would also like to express gratitude for the decree of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor, who instructed the Darul Ehsan Islamic Foundation (Yide) and the Selangor Zakat Board (LZS) to provide assistance.
“For Muslim victims, LZS will channel RM500 in aid, while those categorised as asnaf will receive additional contributions,” he said.
On Friday, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj instructed the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) to manage aid for the victims' recovery.
Via a statement from the Selangor Royal Office, the Ruler decreed that Mais should distribute assistance through Tabung Infak Jariah Umat Islam Selangor, managed by Yide, including aid for affected students, both Muslims and non-Muslims.
The fire, which occurred at 8.10am, saw flames soaring over 30 metres high with temperatures reaching 1,000°C, taking nearly eight hours to be completely extinguished.
87 houses have been declared as “total loss” in the aftermath of the disaster, while 148 other affected houses that sustained damage are deemed to be safe and can be occupied after repairs.
Over 300 people were displaced and are being sheltered at two PPS. However, no fatalities were reported.
