Petronas Victim Of Selangor Govt S Weaknesses Shah Alam Pas

---

 


Shah Alam PAS has come to Petronas Gas Berhad’s defence after the company was named as a respondent in a lawsuit initiated by 36 Putra Heights residents over the April 1 gas pipeline explosion in the area. 
While supporting the legal action brought by the residents, Shah Alam PAS information chief Nurul Islam Yusoff argued that the national oil giant should be viewed as a “victim” of the Selangor government’s weak oversight and approval processes.
“Petronas is also a victim of the state government’s failure in supervision and approval systems, as a problematic contractor like Pinterest Ventures Sdn Bhd was allowed by the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) to operate in a sensitive right of way (ROW) area,” he said in a statement today.
Besides Petronas and Pinterest Ventures, Hong & Hong Homes Sdn Bhd, MBSJ, and the Malaysian government were also named as respondents in the lawsuit filed at the Shah Alam High Court on Oct 17 via former attorney-general Tommy Thomas’ law firm. 
Nurul Islam also urged that two additional companies be named in the lawsuit to ensure full accountability from all parties involved. 
Shah Alam PAS information chief Nurul Islam YusoffIn particular, he pointed to Kusel Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of MBI Selangor chaired by the Selangor menteri besar, asserting that the company was responsible for processing excavation permit applications from developers before forwarding them to MBSJ.
According to Nurul Islam, Kusel was aware that Pinterest Ventures was under disciplinary action, but failed to halt its application process. 
“The question is, why was the application still forwarded to MBSJ when the violation was already known?” he pressed.
He also named Raid Synergy Sdn Bhd, a contractor allegedly appointed by Petronas to carry out work within its ROW area, noting that the company was not included in the official investigation report on the fire despite being mentioned by the menteri besar during the state assembly.
“If it is true that Raid Synergy carried out work within the ROW, then they too should be held accountable for the incident,” he claimed.
‘Full audit on approvals needed’
He further called on the Selangor government to immediately conduct an audit of all past approvals to identify any buildings or projects that may have been constructed through similar procedural weaknesses.
“A technical analysis of the structural integrity of affected buildings must be carried out promptly to ensure the safety of residents and the people of Selangor.
“The Selangor government must also present an improvement plan for the approval processes of technical agencies and local authorities to ensure such incidents do not recur in the future,” he added. 
The fire involving the Petronas gas line on the second day of Hari Raya saw flames shooting more than 30m into the air, with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius, transforming the surrounding landscape into a large crater.
The disaster destroyed 81 houses with structural damage exceeding 40 percent, while another 81 were partially damaged. Fifty-seven houses were affected but not burnt.
On July 8, the Selangor state assembly was informed that excavation works neither caused the explosion nor triggered the resulting blaze.
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said investigations by the police, the Minerals and Geoscience Department, and Dosh confirmed that the groundworks did not impact the gas pipeline.
Amirudin also refuted allegations that a developer had carried out unauthorised construction near the Petronas reserve, clarifying that the company had complied with Petronas’ safety conditions and obtained formal approval to proceed with works on March 20.
Earlier, then-Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said investigations into the incident had been classified as no further action after criminal probes found no elements of negligence, foul play, or sabotage that could have damaged the gas pipeline and triggered the explosion. - Mkini

---