By Nasuha Badrul Huzaini
SHAH ALAM, March 16 — The Selangor government has channelled payment totalling RM118.1 million to date under the Bantuan Selangor Bangkit (BSB) initiative to 118,110 flood-affected families in the state, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said the cash aid distribution for the districts of Hulu Langat, Sabak Bernam and Hulu Selangor had been completed. At the same time, the process is expected to be completed for six other districts by the end of April.
“Currently, there are over 8,000 flood victims who have yet to receive cash assistance even though their applications have been approved in six districts, including 7,236 applicants in Klang, Kuala Langat (530), Petaling (348), Sepang (223), Kuala Selangor (56), and two in Gombak.
“There is a slight delay in distributing the cash aid as we manually conduct the vetting process to avoid redundancies. Out of the total applications we received, approximately 2,942 were declined as they failed to meet the given criteria, and 300 applications are still being verified.
“Therefore, after March 31 until the end of April, we will begin processing appeals from the applicants should they feel their applications were unfairly rejected or due to other reasons,” Amirudin said during the Selangor State Legislative Assembly here today.
He was responding to an oral query from Port Klang state assemblyman Azmizam Zaman Huri regarding the flooding disaster in December last year.
In his reply to a supplementary query from Sijangkang state assemblyman Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi on congestion at the distribution centres, the Menteri Besar said it was due to the victims opting for aid in cash form instead of via Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT).
“The victims want to be certain the money is handed over directly to them. However, we will also offer EFT as an option for the remaining 8,000 victims who have yet to receive their money as this could expedite the distribution process,” he said.
Amirudin added that although 25 people perished during the severe floods at the end of last year, the RM10,000 aid to the next-of-kin has only been given to 14 families.
“The rest of the victims were not Malaysian citizens, and the cash assistance is only for Malaysians,” he said.
The BSB programme was launched on December 21 last year with a total allocation of RM100 million following the severe floods that affected eight districts in the state.
