By Sofia Nasir
SHAH ALAM, April 5 — Five special transport vehicles will be provided for the children of victims of the Putra Heights gas explosion to continue their schooling by Monday (April 7).
Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari said all vehicles were arranged in collaboration with Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, involving transportation to 34 schools.
“The State Public Transport Committee will provide five vehicles to transport students to school. These will be rotated and supplemented as needed.
“There are 34 schools to cover, and we will try to increase the number of vehicles from time to time. The pick-up point will be from the respective temporary relief centres (PPS), and coordination should be made with the respective PPS heads,” he said during a press conference in the State Secretariat Building today.
Earlier, Amirudin chaired the third meeting of the State Disaster Management Committee, which was also attended by Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.
Meanwhile, the Menteri Besar announced that all aid will begin to be distributed to victims starting this Monday, involving 509 families who have registered with the PPS as of today.
He said the number has increased as some victims have only just returned from celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri in their hometowns, while others are not staying at the PPS.
“The state government advises those who have not yet registered to do so. Registration will close by 12pm tomorrow so that we can coordinate the aid distribution.
“We also have a tenant category. RM5,000 will be given to homeowners whose properties are a total loss and RM2,500 to tenants. Starting Monday, we will begin calling individuals for verification, which will be handled accordingly,” Amirudin said.
He added that 130 out of 235 identified houses in Taman Putra Harmoni have been declared safe, and their occupants have been allowed to return home.
However, none of the homes in Kampung Sungai Baharu have yet been declared safe, and victims are advised to follow the instructions of the authorities to ensure their safety.
“If they return without reporting to the officers on site, I am concerned there could be unwanted incidents. We will try to expedite the process, as some of the houses remain structurally fragile,” Amirudin said.
