KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will rebuild around 10 homes destroyed in recent fires at Kampung Petagas and Bukit Vor under the Rumah Mesra Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) initiative.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor visited the affected families at the temporary relief centre at Sri Putatan Hall on Wednesday (June 18).
He said the state is committed to helping the victims recover and rebuild their lives.
“We understand the hardship these families are facing, having lost everything to the fires. The state government will help rebuild their houses so they can start anew,” he said.
The fires, which occurred on June 16 and 17, left 74 people from 28 families homeless, including 20 families (46 individuals) in Kampung Petagas, and eight families (28 individuals) in Bukit Vor.
Hajiji added that to ease the burden of the victims, each head of household has received various forms of assistance, including RM1,000 in Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI), RM1,000 from the Sabah Welfare Foundation (YKS), and RM1,000 from the Sabah Zakat Centre under the Islamic Religious Council (MUIS).
Fire victims also received food baskets and RM300 from Perbadanan Baitulmal Negeri Sabah.
“For houses that were completely destroyed, the government will rebuild them on the existing sites through Rumah Mesra SMJ.
“For partially damaged houses, the government will assist with cash aid between RM5,000 and RM10,000, depending on the extent of damage,” he said.
Hajiji stated that the state government remains deeply concerned about the people’s welfare and will continue to ensure that no one is left behind during difficult times.
“As a caring government, we are committed to looking after the welfare of the people, especially during times of hardship,” he said.
Also present at the event were Deputy Chief Minister and State Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif, and State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong.
Petagas assemblyman Datuk Awang Ahmad Sah Awang Sahari, Secretary for Home Affairs and Research Datuk Awang Shahminan Sahari, and Putatan district officer Masawi Salleh were also present.
