Kampung Boyan fire victims assured of assistance from federal minister
KUCHING: The victims of a fire which broke out at Kampung Boyan here on Oct 19 can expect to have their houses rebuilt under the federal government’s Housing Project for the Hardcore Poor (PPRT) scheme.
Assuring the family of eight, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he would personally submit the request to Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as soon as possible.
“The house (destroyed in the fire) was actually a PPRT unit built a few years back,” Wan Junaidi told reporters after handing over financial assistance to the family on the site of the fire at Jalan Astana yesterday.
According to the Santubong MP, Fire and Rescue Department is still investigating the cause of the fire, which also razed two double-storey units – both vacant during the incident.
Wan Junaidi said an evaluation would be carried out to ascertain if the owners of the other two houses could apply to purchase new units under ‘Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR)’ or ‘PeopleFriendly Housing’ scheme.
Wan Junaidi shared with reporters the ordeal of Zaidi Bujang who jumped out of the window moments after fire broke out around 2am on Oct 19.
“It’s fortunate that all of Zaidi’s family members managed to flee to safety.”
According to state Fire and Rescue Department, the PPRT unit was a single storey wooden house measuring 1,200 sq feet, while the other two houses were 2,000 sq feet each.