CYBERJAYA, April 13 — Thirty-seven higher learning institution students whose belongings were destroyed in the Putra Heights gas pipeline explosion have been granted aid in the form of laptops from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
In a statement today, the MCMC said it will also give mobile phones to heads of households affected by the incident and laptops to schools nearby the site. This aid will be presented in stages, it said.
The commission added that it would distribute 302 laptops (37 to students and 265 to schools) and 620 mobile phones to each head of household.
The first phase of handouts were done by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari during a simple ceremony on April 11 in conjunction with his visit to the Putra Heights Mosque temporary relief centre. Also present were representatives from the MCMC and Communications Ministry, including Communications Ministry deputy secretary-general (telecommunications infrastructure) V. Mano.
“We hope this initiative can alleviate victims’ burdens, especially when it comes to learning, online services, and communications,” the MCMC said in the statement.
On April 1, the main gas pipeline on Jalan Putra Harmoni, Putra Heights, sprung a leak, causing an explosion and subsequent inferno that sent flames over 30m into the sky and affecting nearby neighbourhoods, with temperatures reaching 1,000℃. The fire took nearly eight hours to extinguish.
The disaster displaced over 500 victims and left homes and vehicles destroyed.
