He said investigations by police, the minerals and geoscience department and occupational safety and health department (DOSH) confirmed that the groundwork did not impact the gas pipeline.
“According to checks with the local authorities, the 4.2m monsoon drain construction and residential development took place from 2008 to 2009,” Bernama reported him as saying at a briefing on the incident at the Selangor state assembly today.
Amirudin refuted allegations that the developer had carried out unauthorised construction near the Petronas Gas Bhd (PGB) reserve.
He clarified that the company had complied with Petronas’s safety conditions and obtained formal approval to proceed with work on March 20.
Amirudin also denied claims that the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) had failed to meet the necessary criteria when giving planning permission for work within the Petronas buffer zone.
He said while PGB mandated a 60-foot buffer zone, the designated buffer in the Putra Heights area was 66 feet.
Earlier, DOSH’s petroleum safety division director Husdin Che Amat was reported as saying that the incident was caused by weak soil conditions beneath the pipeline.
He said while the pipeline met all technical specifications, investigation found that the ground beneath it was weak and had failed to provide proper support, leaving a segment of the pipe resting over soft, wet soil.
Separately, Amirudin said the reconstruction and repair of the affected houses was ahead of schedule.
He said based on assessments by the Economic Planning Unit, three houses in Taman Putra Harmoni would be rebuilt, while 46 would undergo repairs, and another 46 units were still undergoing final structural inspections.
Amirudin added that in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru, of the 17 homes affected, 11 would be rebuilt and six repaired.
He said that as of now, homeowners in Taman Putra Harmoni had submitted repair claims amounting to RM458,440.50, while residents of Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru had filed claims for RM884,934.
He reminded residents that they had until Oct 27 to submit all required documents to MBSJ, which is acting as the facilitator.
“Following the assessment, the state government will propose to the housing and local government ministry to raise the ceiling for repair costs from RM30,000 to RM60,000 to account for roofing tiles and replacement of fittings such as water tanks,” he said.
The gas pipeline fire that broke out at about 8.10am on April 1 sent flames more than 30m into the sky, with temperatures soaring to 1,000 degree Celsius. It took nearly eight hours for the blaze to be extinguished.
The blaze destroyed 81 houses, another 81 houses partially destroyed, 57 damaged but not burned, and 218 houses unaffected.