PETALING JAYA: Twenty business tents destroyed in a fire at Uptown Kota Damansara last Monday were alleged to have been operating without the authorisation of authorities and landowners.
Infra Alfa Sdn Bhd's manager Shareen Farzida Sukri stated that the property owners involved in the incident were also not under the control of her company. She said only 380 registered traders were operating on the permanent premises."The 20 business tents that were burnt were not operating on land under our jurisdiction. Previously, incidents of electrical theft occurred. Therefore, our only capability is to issue warnings to traders not to supply electricity to them," she said.
Shareen said that they would hold a meeting with the affected gym owners in the near future, aiming to resolve the issue at hand.Meanwhile, Kota Damansara State Assemblyman, Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim, said that they have discussed with the State Government to consider providing assistance for the affected traders' sustainability.
"I have discussed with the State Government to possibly assist the affected traders so that they can at least resume operations. From my observation, there might need to be a reevaluation because it involves electrical wiring. Therefore, in the coming days, I suggest they refrain from operating until they obtain approval from the fire department," he said.Therefore, he also hoped that the incident would serve as a lesson to all parties, especially affected traders, and as a reminder for local authorities to conduct more stringent inspections of any operations that do not meet safety standards.
Earlier, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department's director, Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail, said that the initial investigation found that the fire incident was caused by wiring problems.The incident, believed to have occurred around 8:30 pm, destroyed 20 temporary tents and a permanent premise operating as a gym.