SHAH ALAM, April 7 — Homeowners affected by the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, will receive additional contributions of RM5,000 and RM2,500 each from Petronas depending on the extent of the house damage, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said the financial aid of RM5,000 for homes that are categorised as a total loss and RM2,500 to those affected is in addition to the assistance announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim previously.
With the additional contribution, he said, those whose homes are a total loss will receive a total of RM10,000, while homeowners or tenants whose houses were affected will receive a total of RM5,000 each.
“After registration closed at 6pm yesterday, there were 613 households from 437 houses registered, meaning there were houses with rooms for rent,” he said.
Amirudin said the first session of the distribution of contributions will be carried out by the state government today.
“Praise be to God, I think the 219 victims that have been confirmed will receive the contribution today. The State Disaster Management Committee will call these people to inform them, and we expect everything to be done by this Friday at the latest,” he told a press conference at the State Secretariat Building here today.
Anwar, when visiting the fire site last Tuesday, announced an immediate aid of RM5,000 to owners of homes that were destroyed and RM2,500 to more than 100 homeowners whose homes were partially damaged.
Meanwhile, Amirudin said the state government will provide RM2,000 in house rental for six months to victims depending on the duration of the repair of their respective homes.
He said the aid, amounting to RM7.356 million, was decided after considering complaints from victims regarding temporary accommodation provided by the Selangor Housing and Property Board in Kota Warisan, Sepang, which they said was too far from their current homes.
“We expect to finalise everything by next week and will distribute the funds to the household heads. This financial aid will allow them to rent temporary accommodations.
“Some may be able to return to their homes within six months, while those whose houses were destroyed, may take longer to rebuild,” he said.
Amirudin also noted that under the previously announced Airbnb initiative, a total of 87 units are available for victims’ use.
Distribution of these temporary accommodations is expected to be held on Wednesday, with priority given to owners with total-loss homes, he added.
Meanwhile, he said that in light of the various forms of aid announced, including car and motorcycle loans, electrical appliance vouchers, zakat contributions, and state government support for house rentals, a dedicated website will be launched to track the distribution of these donations.
“The website will serve as a platform for registered victims and will allow our officers to report on the progress of aid distribution, including the percentage of assistance that has been channelled to the residents,” he said.
— Bernama
