Mall set to reopen for business

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THE Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya, is slated to reopen tomorrow, after fulfilling the safety and other requirements set by several technical agencies.

The shopping mall was rocked by a gas leak explosion on Sept 28, and had been undergoing round-the-clock repairs.

The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Fire and Rescue Department and Energy Commission carried out a final inspection on Friday and would issue a certification letter before the reopening.

MPSJ president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi said the inspection would be almost similar to the Certificate of Fitness (CF) inspection, whereby the MPSJ required the consultants to issue a letter of declaration for the completed engineering and building work.

Back in business : The Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya all ready to open its doors to the public.

“Once the shopping mall is reopened, the safety of the building’s structure and shoppers would come under the purview of the building’s management,” he said.

According to the MPSJ, the cause of the explosion was due to a gas pipe leakage at the kitchen of a restaurant on the lower ground floor.

“The incident also caused considerable damage to the slab on top of the restaurant and caused the collapse of a perimeter wall underneath the gas pipe stretch.

“The affected area covers only the front part of the whole complex.

“However, the office block, Soho block and hotel tower suffered minor damage,” Asmawi said.

He said all safety measures were implemented after the explosion, such as shutting down the gas line, power supply and lifts, as well as barricading the affected area.

“After the explosion, the building was taken over by the Fire and Rescue Department to ensure public safety and to allow them to carry out investigation.

“The Energy Commission, the agency that certifies the gas pipe installation, was also on site to carry out their duties.

“All construction work was closely supervised by the Department of Safety and Health to ensure public safety measures are met,” he added.

Asmawi said the findings of the building’s structural engineers showed that there were no major structural damage to the building, except for the slab on top of the restaurant and two adjacent columns which need to be reconstructed.

“The building is in no threat of suffering any structural collapse.

“The reports of these findings and proposed rectification work were forwarded to MPSJ soon after the incident,” he said.

Asmawi said the Fire and Rescue Department was satisfied with the safety measures taken and therefore handed over the building back to the its management on Sept 30.

“On Oct 2, the Energy Commission issued a letter certifying that the building system is in working order,” he said.

“The structural engineers of the premises sent their final rectification and independent assessment report to the MPSJ on Oct 19, providing information on rectification methadology, and photos before and after work was carried out.

“The engineers said the rectification work had been carried out under their supervision, and in accordance to design and drawing specifications,” he added.