Subang Jaya mayor Amirul Azizan Rahim said the council’s staff visited the area to examine the excavation work and found that “everything was in order, and a permit was in place”.

“The report about the excavation was made through our complaint management system, but I can’t remember the date,” he told reporters during a press conference at the incident site control post here.

He said the contractors followed the stipulated guidelines, and a permit was issued for them to excavate the reserve road that passes a right of way (ROW).

“Petronas had also issued a permit for work in the ROW,” he added.

On April 5, The Star reported that a Putra Heights resident claimed to have been concerned about the excavation work carried out in his neighbourhood just days before the major gas pipeline blaze occurred.

The resident said he and his wife had often discussed the digging carried out near the gas pipeline but had assumed the contractors were authorised and fully aware of the risks.

The fire which broke out on Tuesday morning along Jalan Putra Harmoni engulfed a 500m section of a gas pipeline, causing severe damage to homes and vehicles.

It was previously reported that a total of 235 premises were affected, with 87 houses declared a “total loss” and deemed unfit for occupation, while 148 others could be occupied after repairs.