KUALA LUMPUR: The reconstruction and repair of homes damaged in the gas pipeline fire incident in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, last month is expected to take two years to complete, said Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.

He said that so far, the reconstruction and repair work on 219 affected homes has been carried out according to plan and within the set timeframe.

"Contractors are actively working on the repair and reconstruction of the destroyed homes.

"I hope that, within less than two years, we can complete the construction of new houses for the affected victims; for homes that have been completely destroyed, we will build new ones, while those that can be repaired will be restored," he told Bernama before appearing as a guest on Bernama TV's Ruang Bicara programme, which discussed the topic "UN-HABITAT: Malaysia Ready to Lead Global Sustainable Development" at Wisma Bernama today.

Nga said the government, through the Housing and Local Government Ministry, had allocated RM46 million for the repair of homes and public infrastructure affected by the incident.

He said that, through the allocation from the ministry and the Subang Jaya City Council, RM6 million had been set aside to restore and rebuild public infrastructure and facilities, including roads, drainage systems, and public recreational parks that were damaged in the fire.

The gas pipeline fire on April 1 caused flames to rise more than 30 metres high, with temperatures reaching over 1,000 degrees Celsius, and took almost eight hours to be completely extinguished.

The incident caused 81 homes to be completely destroyed, with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent, 81 homes partially damaged, 57 homes affected but not burned, and 218 homes left unaffected.

It was reported that federal government will allocate RM46 million to repair and rebuild homes and infrastructure damaged by the blast.