Eight landowners are still holding out for more compensation as the government prepares to take another step toward the construction of a bridge linking Yangon with Dala township.
The government has already signed an agreement to pay 60 owners K130 million each in compensation for their land, residents said.
U Tin Hlaing, chair of the Dala Township Development Committee, said yesterday, “We calculate compensation at a rate of K130 million for a 60-by-40-foot plot. Sixty residents have agreed to move, and eight have not. We will continue to negotiate with them.”
One resident who has already agreed to the terms said, “Some people haven’t signed because they’re greedy. Many people see the bridge as a gateway to the development of Dala.”
Dala is currently only reachable by ferry from Pansodan Jetty, on small sampan boats or a car ferry that crosses the Yangon River several times a day.
The suspension bridge is expected to have a significant impact on Dala’s development, as the area is so close geographically to downtown Yangon.
On November 14, President U Thein Sein is set to sign an agreement with the Korean government for a 40-year, US$138 million low-interest loan required to build the bridge.
Once built it will be among the country’s largest at 2243 metres long, 48m high and 243m wide. The government would provide the remaining $30.3 million.
“As soon as we receive the loan, we will compensate the residents who have agreed to accept compensation,” said U Tin Hlaing.
The K130 million will cover the cost of the bridge plus a K85 million in compensation for displacement, he added.
“Only two households would have to move in their entirety. The rest would only be slightly or temporarily displaced during construction. We will also rebuild religious buildings, and pay additional compensation of K50,000 to K1 million for wells, lakes, markets and so on depending on their condition,” said U Tin Hlaing.
Yangon City Development Committee and the Ministry of Construction were responsible for locating and measuring the land, he added.
The bridge would link Phone Gyi Street on the Yangon side with Bo Min Yaung Street in Dala township, and would be high enough to allow ocean liners to pass beneath it, said a senior ministry official.
Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin
Quoted from mmtimes.
