Myanmar real estate news

Farmers urge region government to restart Southwest New City project


Myanmar real estate news A farmers group is pressing local authorities to resurrect the controversial Southwest New City project. Though the three companies selected to build the new city were ready to proceed on the basis of approval from the outgoing Yangon Region government, the incoming National League for Democracy government said it would cancel the project if residents did not benefit sufficiently.

Yangon City Development Committee then indicated readiness to proceed with another project called for by the long-term Yangon development plan, the Northeast New City, to be located between the future Hanthawaddy International Airport near Bago city and the Thilawa special economic zone.

The project priorities were initially outlined in the 2040 Greater Yangon development plan, which foresees the city’s population doubling to 10 million by that date. City officials said the previous government had changed the priority, in favour of Southwest New City, but they wanted to ask the government to change it back. The Northeast project would require no new bridges and had better existing road access than the proposed Southwest New City zone.

At an April 25 meeting with industrialists, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein reiterated that his administration intended to take another look at the city development projects to ensure that they were in line with the 2040 plan, which had been drawn up by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. “Many projects not related to the JICA plan have been found, so we’re going to review the project systematically,” he said.

But now U Tin Sein, joint secretary of the Southwest Region Development Group, says Twante township residents across the Hlaing River from Kyeemyindaing township want the government to proceed with Southwest New City.

“The first thing we need urgently is the Bargayar Alatt Chaung Bridge. Crossing the river in the rain can be dangerous,” he said. “We heard the authorities wanted to build the new city in Hlegu township, as it’s in the chief minister’s area. The government can proceed with the three companies already interested, or find new companies, including foreign firms. But we do want them to start by building that bridge,” he said.

Southwest Region Development Group comprises 33 farmers in villages opposite Kyeemyindaing township. It has been active in development matters since mid-2015 and is based in Ba Lote Nyunt village.

U Tin Sein said local MPs were pressing for a resumption of Southwest New City in both the Pyithu hluttaw and the Yangon Region hluttaw.

Former Yangon Region forestry minister U Kyaw Soe said on June 25, “We need to set priorities in regional development, which will bring tens of thousands of new homes and new jobs.”

U Khin Maung Than, secretary of Southwest Region Development Committee, said, “We have suffered a lot. People have to commute by sampan to get into Yangon. In summer, water is scarce. Because there’s no bridge, emergency patients can’t get to hospital in time and die on the way. Our region needs development. We don’t mind which company builds it.”

In 2014, the regional government awarded the development rights for a 30,000-acre tract west of downtown to a formerly unknown public company linked to Chinese interests. After much public outrage, the then-Chief Minister U Myint Swe was forced into an embarrassing climbdown, and the regional government withdrew the contract and held a tender for a scaled-down version of the project.

While 54 companies expressed interest in the tender, only three companies submitted bids, all of which were accepted.

The developers at once announced plans to build bridges to connect the 11,716-acre site with downtown Yangon and neighbouring Hlaing Tharyar township, including compensation payments to be made to local residents whose homes or businesses had to be relocated. All these proposals are now on hold.

Translation by Emoon




Quoted from mmtimes.