contribute funds for road construction

Chin people to contribute funds for road construction
Khonumthung News
May 8, 2007

Each family from 85 villages in Than Tlang Township, Chin state are having to shell out Kyat 1,000 for construction of the Mantaw- Hakha road. Those unable to contribute have to make it up by working on the construction site. The orders to this effect come from Lai To, Chairman of the Township Peace and Development Council, Thang Tlang.

The Chairman had directed village heads to collect the money from the villagers in Thang Tlang to construct a 80-mile road that will connect Mantaw village in Kalay Township, Sagaing division to Hakha, capital of Chin state, said a local in Thang Tlang.

"The villagers have agricultural work to do. No one can go to work so far. They felt that it is better to give money instead," a local explained.

The contribution will be utilized to pay construction workers on a daily basis and the labour wage ranges between Kyat 1,000 to Kyat 1,500 a day.

Construction of the road was begun in 2006 by locals from all villages in Hakha and those who could work on the site were ordered to contribute Kyat 1,000 each. The money was said to have been used to pay construction workers and buy diesel for bulldozers.

The eight-feet wide Hakha– Mantaw road is targeted to be completed in 2007 with government funding. But the project is being carried out with contribution from civilians and labour of locals.

A local from Hakha said, "I don't know why they need to collect and depend on civilian energy and money. The government must have a budget for this construction. Civilians doubt whether the contributed money is being used for construction of the road."

A local from Hakha also said that if the road cannot be completed with labour from Thang Tlang, locals from Falam Township might be called in to continue the unfinished work.

Though the Myanmar military authorities are implementing projects such as roads, government-building construction and agricultural infrastructure under government projects, they still depend on local work force and civilian funds for the projects.