CYBERJAYA, Nov 25 — The Selangor Government has denied allegations that the plan to offer 25 cubic metres of free water only to the B40 group as compared to all residents of the state was due to the recent takeover of Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (SPLASH) by Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor).

Selangor Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari asserted that the acquisition did not involve any financial allocation from the state, and was purely taken over by Air Selangor, a special purpose company set up by the Selangor state government through a loan from the Federal government.

"So (the free water distribution programme) has nothing to do with the effect of SPLASH’s takeover as some say,” he told the media after a programme organised by the Selangor Zakat Board to provide education assistance to the hardcore poor.

Yesterday, former Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the Selangor government’s decision to provide free water only to the B40 target group was not surprising, especially after the state government decided to pay RM2.55 billion to SPLASH.

Last August, Air Selangor announced the acquisition of SPLASH for RM2.55 billion, effectively ending the Selangor water restructuring episode which had been dragging on for the past ten years. — Bernama