Selangor MB: Probe into Putra Heights blast transparent, independent
He said the Selangor government was not directly involved in the investigation, but only served as one of the 212 witnesses.
Amirudin said the focus now was on the special committee set up to study the report on the incident and recommend several measures to the state government.
'The reality is, the investigation was conducted completely independently, with no interference from the state government. So, if there are parties disputing it, that does not mean the report is inaccurate,' he said.
He said this at a press conference after officiating the Publicity and Public Participation Programme for the Draft Local Plan of the Sepang Municipal Council, Selangor 2035 (Replacement), here today.
Amirudin said the full report of the investigation into the gas pipeline fire incident would be made available to the public once approval is obtained from the relevant authority.
'I will make the investigation public once permission is obtained and (anyone) may review it to find out who is responsible and (the report) contains an explanation of that.
'We should not assume that there is interference in every matter. (Such) perceptions must be backed by clear and scientific evidence,' he said.
Amirudin stressed that the state government had given the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) full space to carry out the investigation, including summoning witnesses such as the developer, security guards and excavator operators.
'(At present) police investigations have found no evidence of negligence or foul play,' he said.
Amirudin had earlier said that Selangor would establish a special committee to formulate long-term strategies and propose new regulations to prevent incidents such as the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights from recurring.
Police have classified the gas pipeline explosion incident as No Further Action (NFA) following criminal investigations that found no elements of negligence or sabotage.
The blaze and explosion destroyed 81 houses with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent, partially destroyed another 81 and affected 57 without burning, while 218 houses were unaffected, including those in Kampung Tengah, Puchong. — BERNAMA
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The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
S'gor MB: Putra Heights case classification not a dead end
SEPANG: Action can still be taken against those found responsible for the Putra Heights inferno if evidence emerges in the future, says the Selangor government. Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said state authorities could still pursue their own course of action even though the police have classified the case as 'no further action'. Amirudin said a special state government committee is looking into the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) report into the gas pipe line explosion, which was released on June 30. The DOSH report said the pipeline had been damaged by weak soil beneath the pipes, which caused gas to leak and ignite. 'The report will give an idea of what happened and who could be the responsible party. 'Anyone who wants to check the findings will be able to do so. I have no issue with the report being scrutinised,' Amirudin told reporters yesterday after launching the Sepang Municipal Council, Selangor Local Draft Plan 2035 (Amendment) Publicity and Public Participation Programme. Amirudin was responding to criticisms from Putra Heights residents and some politicians who disputed the government's findings. 'There is a party disputing the report and accusing it of spinning the story,' he added. 'Perceptions must be backed by accurate and scientific proof, which is what is being done,' he said, referring to the state's special committee set up to review the findings and propose follow-up actions. The pipeline fire on April 1 caused widespread destruction, including to 81 homes that suffered more than 40% structural damage. Another 81 houses were partially destroyed, while 57 were affected but not burned. Elaborating on the police's investigation, Amirudin said the force had recorded statements from 212 witnesses before ruling out negligence or criminal elements. Among the witnesses were Subang Jaya City Council officers, the developer of a project near the site, security guards, excavator operators and PETRONAS staff. He said the report was compiled independently and without the involvement of the state. Meanwhile, Putra Heights residents who were affected by the fire expressed disappointment in the findings. 'We are surprised and disagree that there was no negligence involved,' said Putra Harmoni Residents Association vice-chairman Francis Koh Eng Tiong. He added that the findings seemed incomplete, lacked impartiality and reflected investigators' failure to find out what caused the soil beneath the pipes to move. Residents had lodged reports to the Subang Jaya City Council more than three months before the incident with visual evidence of heavy equipment and construction material near the explosion site, he added. Koh said an independent party should be appointed to carry out further investigations and provide measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. Other residents also told The Star that the relevant authorities should keep affected residents updated on future plans and remedial actions at the site. 'They should provide written technical reports or summaries in layman's terms to rebuild trust. 'Let this incident serve as a reminder that in times of crisis recovery, engineering precision must go hand-in-hand with empathy and community engagement,' they said.
Focus Malaysia
16 hours ago
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A case of 'Act of God, blaming silly soil in Putra Heights explosion
SO the Putra Heights gas pipe explosion was due to an 'Act of God', sorry, I mean an 'Act of Soil'. No politicians or developers were at fault, even though there was digging work for a construction project near the pipe. Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari revealed on June 30 that soil subsidence had happened since the PETRONAS gas pipeline was laid in 2000, causing it to sink by 15.9cm. So was the MB indirectly pointing the finger at PETRONAS for not maintaining the gas pipeline properly in those 25 years? Yet Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan declared there was no negligence, no sabotage and no mischief. Did that clear PETRONAS? So, we have yet another Malaysian disaster with ZERO human involvement. Let's all blame the silent soil that can't speak! I read many funny and sarcastic comments online about the 'real cause' of the tragedy. Here are some: 'Maybe the earthworms wrongly hit the gas pipe.' 'Bring the soil to court!!' 'Even the foreign grass cutters would have noticed if the soil was sinking.' Only in Malaysia. Floods: Blame too much rain. Landslides: Blame rain and weak soil. Gasipe explosion: Blame soil movement! 1MDB repeated? It's like 1MDB all over again — a great crime with 'no criminals' – as local authorities initially proclaimed. And now we have Malaysia's biggest industrial disaster – with no human fault. The only difference is that this is happening under a Madani, not Barisan Nasional (BN) government. On April 1, the fire from the PETRONAS gas pipeline saw flames shooting over 30m into the air with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius. The surroundings became a hellfire landscape with 162 houses severely or partially damaged though incredibly no single life was lost.. So who is going to compensate residents for the damage and hardship? The soil? The Department of Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) said the gas pipe met technical specifications but was not fully supported by the soil around it. This caused a weakness in the welded joint which then broke apart. The Minerals and Geosciences Department had also found that the pipe was located in 'waterlogged soil'. The presence of water had caused the soil to become loose, causing the pipe to sink. But something doesn't smell right. Even if soil is water-logged, why would it move when it's not on a slope but deep underground? No landslides were reported there. I'm sorry to say this but blaming 'water in soil' is like saying 'heavy rain from the heavens' caused the explosion. This sounds like the 'Act of God' excuse that the late Tun S. Samy Vellu used whenever disasters struck. The DOSH finding is very alarming because PETRONAS has 2,623km of gas pipelines supplying power and petrochemical plants plus other factories across Peninsular Malaysia. Since our country has heavy rains, how many pipes are in 'water-logged' soil? The Cilisos portal traced PETRONAS gas pipes online and the map shows that they pass areas of coastal Selangor that were once peat swamps bit now drained for padi fields. These soils become 'water-logged' during downpours. Cilisos also found many housing areas next to gas pipelines – some without the required 30m 'buffer zone'.\ Does PETRONAS need to stop transporting gas until every inch of pipeline is inspected and certified safe? Or should all residents living near such pipes sell their homes to avoid getting burnt alive? Is PETRONAS guilty? DAP Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin now insisted PETRONAS is still liable for the disaster even though ground instability was found to be 'the cause'. Yeo, a former oil and gas field engineer, further claimed that PETRONAS is responsible for ensuring its assets are in good condition and should compensate those affected by the fire. But there is one problem here – the Selangor police chief has already announced there was NO negligence, sabotage nor mischief. So how can PETRONAS be liable? Yet all these years before the Putra Heights disaster, there have been no explosions on over 2,000km of gas pipelines even though some surely pass through 'water-logged' soil. According to an expert familiar with pipeline safety, PETRONAS actually has a decent safety record. 'Gas pipelines are very robust and virtually indestructible. They have gauges at every junction.' 'If there is a leakage, this will trigger an alarm at the central command centre,' explained the expert. 'The pipe is monitored by Petronas with sound and pressure sensors. But the gas leak and ignition may have happened too fast before action could be taken.' The shops and excavator So what could have caused such a sudden gas leak? Shortly after the explosion, many netizens pointed to the building of shop lots near the accident site. 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Yet a few days later on April 7, Hussein was quoted by The Rakyat Post that there was 'no need to reveal the contractor's identity at this stage.' According to police statements, the contractor 'followed all standard operating procedures', including maintaining the approved 2.1-meter depth limit for the sewage pipe installation. Yet given that investigations were on-going then, so how did the police know that excavation SOP had been followed? On April 29, Hussein announced that this notorious excavator had been located buried using ground penetrating radar. And now, three months after the tragedy – when the soil is being blamed = the excavation contractor has STILL not been publicly revealed. The pipe safety expert commented, 'The soil subsided because digging was not supervised properly.' 'The same amount of soil extracted must be replaced with the same amount of soil filled. Otherwise, the soil will subside. It's basic soil mechanics.' So what's the conclusion? Unfortunately, it's to blame the stupid soil for not staying still. Blame the wicked water in the soil. Because humans are beyond blame when it comes to mysterious Malaysian disasters. – July 3, 2025
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