Kuala lumpur: Eight individuals have been appointed to the Independent Committee to review the report on the investigation into the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya. The committee is chaired by Dr. Khamarrul Azahari Razak, the senior research fellow of the Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Centre (DPPC) Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Selangor Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship Committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi stated that the appointment of the committee members, effective immediately, has been approved by the State Executive Council Meeting (MMKN). Besides Khamarrul Azahari, also appointed as committee members are IKRAM Works Sdn Bhd director Datuk Mohd Taufik Haron; Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Zahirasri Mohd Tohir from the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); Geo Mag Engineering managing director Dr Moahamad Anuri Ghazali; Muhamad Her Jantan from The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia, Board of Engineers Malaysia; Malaysian Institute of Planners vice-president TPr Abdul Hamid Akub; UGEO Solutions Sdn Bhd senior geophysicist Juzaili Azmi; and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Executive Director’s Office special tasks manager Shahronizam Noordin.
Mohd Najwan, who is also the State Disaster Management Committee chairman, emphasized that the setting up of the committee aligns with the state government’s commitment to ensuring transparency, responsibility, and public safety in addressing critical infrastructure-related incidents. The Independent Committee, which comprises technical experts, academics, and industry professionals, has been given two months to investigate and present a full report to the state government.
“Some of the main objectives of the panel are to probe into the actual cause of the incident, review standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance by the relevant parties and propose measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. The state government will facilitate the committee’s requirements in terms of accessing information so that they can independently and transparently carry out their investigations, thus putting a stop to all kinds of speculation and finger-pointing regarding the cause of the incident,” Mohd Najwan said during the ceremony to hand over the appointment letters to the Special Committee members.
He further added that the state government took a serious view of the April 1 gas pipeline fire and explosion incident and will ensure a thorough, independent, and transparent probe for the safety and well-being of its residents. On Sept 19, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari was reported to have said that the independent panel, approved by the MMKN and comprised specialists with qualifications in various fields, including slopes, hills, and the oil and gas sector, would review and evaluate the technical report following the investigation carried out by the police, the fire department, and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).