Posted by Global New
Light of Myanmar
Date: June 02, 2017
Undertakings for
progress and socio-economic development of Rakhine State
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| Labours work at soft-shell crab breeding farm in Kyaukpyu. |
In fact, this
significant social progress was achieved within a year as the government’s
enthusiasm for development and the local aspiration served as the engine of
growth amidst the many natural barriers including mountains, forests and
rivers.
The pride
of Sittway
Sittway the regional
capital is famous for its Viewpoint overlooking the area where the Kaladan
River meets the Bay of Bengal. The Viewpoint now has new additions — an 18-foot
tall tower, a 12-feet high figure portraying the traditional Rakhine sprout,
nine-foot tall statues of traditional wrestlers and other legendary figures.
These new arrivals alongside the upgrading programme have turned the Viewpoint
into an international level recreation centre or the pride of Sittway.
Other
improvements
In addition to its
intra-road improvement scheme, the regional capital also saw the airport
extension project which provided the facility with greater passenger handling
capacity and the convenient lounge. Round-the-clock power supply has come to
Sittway since it has been connected with the national grid.
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| Ethnic housing in Shwe Yin Aye village in Maungtaw Township. |
A village
workshop
The erection of a
workshop comprising 100 looms is under way at a cost of K 143 million at
Kyama-thauk village in Sittway Township with the aim of generating new job
opportunities for locals and improving their social status.
Jobs for
trained persons
The workshop whose
completion date is set in March end next year is one of the fruits the
incumbent government has brought within a year. The workshop will bring social
progress by employing 100 persons trained for this particular job. At the old
project office of Sai-din Hydropower Project in Sittway is a pilot garment
factory under construction for the benefit of local people.
Guaranteed
social life
The factory after
its completion will be a facility helping improve the social life of youths,
especially young women by generating jobs for them.
Ponnagyun
retransmission station
Ponnagyun now has a
retransmission station that is distributing power to its wards and some nearby
villages.
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| File photo shows an aerial view of Sittway in Rakhine State. |
Khamikyaingchaung
Dam
The completed
Khamikyaingchaung Dam located near Khamikyaingchaung village 11 miles north of
Ponnagyun Township and the reclaimed Guwamoe reservoir with a storage capacity
of 25.95 acre-feet at Ywahaung ward in the township are now supplying over 2736
million gallons of water for the local people.
Sluicegates
The newly
constructed irrigation sluicegates and salt-water protection sluicegates
Tabethlan village, Khamaungtaw village, Alechaung village and Kyaukpyinseik
village in Ponnagyun Township are now helpful to the success of farming in the
region. In addition, the provision of farm material has improved the living
conditions of farmers as they can now overcome all kinds of difficulties and
boost per-acre yield.
Youth
handicraft school
Ponnagyun is now
witnessing improvement of living standards thanks to the better road and sea
transport which is the result of the roads and port upgrading project. The
border youth handicraft school in the town serves as a vocational education
disseminator for local youths. The townspeople can travel by train as Ponnagyun
now has a newly-built railway station.
Rati port
Kyauktaw Township in
MraukU District is accessible by car as it is located on Yangon-Sittway road.
During the first year of its term in office, the government upgraded the Rati
port on Kissapanadi River which is the main portal and the business centre of the
township.
Flourishing
trade
As the port is now
handling more ships than ever, it facilitates and promotes the trade activities
of local people of Ponnagyun located on the west bank of the river. Hence the
government’s port extension work is effectively serving the interest of the
local people.
Kyauktaw
66-Kv power station
The newly installed
66-Kv power station is supplying electricity to Kyauktaw round-the-clock while
the roadside lampposts are extending the electricity distribution network to
reach every home of the town which is on its way towards social and industrial
development.
Passenger
and freight trucks
Kyauktaw is
accessible both by water and land transport. Increased in the number of cargo
and passenger boats plying daily between Sittway deep-water port and Kyauktaw
and Kyauktaw-MraukU route has facilitated the water transport sector of the
town.
220
schools
Kyauktaw Township
has six high schools and another six affiliated high schools totaling 12. If
middle and primary schools are added the number will be about 220. Construction
of an affiliated high school is also completed. These schools are education
distribution centres especially for rural youths of the township.
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| One of the site for natural gas extraction under the Shwe natural gas project in Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone, Rakhine State. |
Youths
with advanced farming knowledge
Agro Science School
in Kyauktaw has started producing youths with advanced farming knowledge who
will be the driving force for regional progress. The renovated Pyaing creek
dam, canals linking Pikawkin creek, Zee creek dam and Mintha creek dam are
beneficial to the progress of agriculture on which the township depends.
MraukU
ancient cultural zone
Local youths are
finding new jobs at the hotel business providing services for visitors to the
MraukU ancient cultural zone. The new MraukU airport will also generate new job
opportunities for youths and promote their social status. The existence of
highway coach centres and ports has made MraukU easily reachable by land and
water.
Repair of
spillway and control tower
The repair of Gaya
dam for effective irrigation and the provision of harvesters and millers have
contributed to the timely cultivation of crops in MraukU Township.
52
power-tillers for farmers
The government has
sold 52 power-tillers for farmers under its programme to sell farm equipment in
installments at reasonable prices. The programme has improved the working
environment and living standard of farmers.
Community-based
tourism
Arrangements are
under way to establish community-based tourism in MraukU Township. The
government has sent officials to study three Chin villages located upstream
Laymyo River in MraukU Township for two times during the period from 1 April
2016 to March this year to turn them into community-based tourism destinations.
The project is a
great hope for the villagers as it will generate rapid progress for
them.Transport development in Minbya Township on Yangon-Sittway Road has
propelled it into a mini hub, linking Yangon by road and Myepon, Kyaukpyu and
Taungup by sea. Transport development is a welcome change for local people. Minbya
is now a modern town with paved roads and concrete buildings.
A
developing town
Minbya has become a
developing town with robust agriculture, livestock breeding and trade
businesses. The townspeople get water from Myaungyi dam which is seven miles from
the town.
Sluicegates
against salt water
Apart from
government-built Balipauk, Shwebontha and Thetpon sluicegates, there are also
pubic-built ones – Owun, Sonye, Thinganet and Kyaungshe – totaling eight sluice
gates in the township. Thanks to these structures crops are thriving in it.
School
for ethnic races
A school for ethnic
races in Kinseik village near Minbya is providing vocational education free of
charge. Skilled labour generated by the school is a bonanza for social
improvement.
Junction
As it is a junction
of Rakhine State, Minbya serves as the gateway to other regions and states via
Ramong Bridge. Hence, it has bright potentials for progress. As the town now
has enough electricity supply from a sub-power station increase in power
consumption means increase in economic growth for the town whose sub-power
station is providing enough energy for households and businesses.
33Kv
power line
The 33Kv
Minbya-Myepon power line is distributing electricity to Myepon which is a port
town.
Kyethsin
Bridge
After its
completion, the 1920-feet long Kyethsin Bridge between Minbya and Myepon will
be a booster for rapid progress of the latter that is unconnected with the
regional road network till now. But this situation will end soon.
Over 500
fish farming ponds
Fish farming is
flourishing in Myepon which has 522 ponds in 13874 acres of fish farms.
Development in transport sector coupled with irrigation dams and provision of
farm equipment has served as the springboard for the growth in the agricultural
sector which is the base for socio-economic progress.
Kyaukpyu a township
and a district administrative centre by its name is also a transport hub
reachable by sea and road. Kyaukpyu has two ports of which Ngalabway mainly
handles passenger ships, cargo boats and trawlers coming in from or going to
the north including Sittway.
Freighters
It is a port always
busy with incoming and outgoing freighters and trawlers. Fishing and
agriculture are the main businesses of the town which has become modern and new
with upgraded roads and fine buildings.
Good
transport
Good transport and
adequate power supply are the driving forces behind socio-economic development
of Kyaukpyu whose airport is handling domestic flights. Kyaukpyu will achieve
rapidest economic growth in Rakhine State because of its special economic zone
and deep seaport. The government provided 300 units of farm machinery including
harrowers, winnowers, tractors and power-tillers for agricultural development
of Kyaukpyu Township. The government during its first year in office erected
479 power towers, up 182 from the previous year’s 297.
Telecom
towers
Courses on the
application of farm machinery have promoted human resources of the state, apart
from the provisions for health and education sectors telecom towers have been
extended alongside the increase in the number of cell phone users. During its
first year in office, the government installed telecom towers, up 182 from the
previous fiscal year which saw the erection of only 297.
Manual to
mechanized farming
The distribution of
430 units of farm machinery, erection of sluice gates, provision of loans and
seeds in Manaung and Yanbye have steered the two towns towards mechanized
farming. The government provided 14496 baskets of quality seeds, 446
power-tillers, five tractors and 572 winnowers at reasonable prices in Rakhine
State in 2016-2017. The same fiscal saw the state producing over 74 million
baskets of rice of which over 49 million was for local consumption and as seed
corn. Hence the state produced surplus rice during the time.
Village
development
An Township has seen
the implementation of a public-centred project alongside the village
development project in cooperation with the World Bank. Road transport is good
enough to reach Ngathaingchaung in Ayeyawady Region.
230Kv
Man-An power line
The government has
been adding new infrastructures and facilities in providing health and
education for the whole Rakhine State. An is achieving town-and-village
economic development together with social improvement as electricity supply has
reached it though the newly installed 230Kv Man-An power line that is nearly
seven miles long. The increase in the mobile phone users in An and nearby areas
is a sign of change in lifestyles.
Nylon tar
Thandwe District
also has good transport. The Bayintnaung Road between Thandwe and Ngapali, the
Bogyoke Aung San Road and the Marga Road were paved with nylon tar along with
the improvement of the intra-town roads.
Trade and
tourism centre
Highways coaches are
running on Yangon-Thandwe road daily apart from short or long trips to the
towns and places situated all along the thoroughfare. In this regard, the
highway coach terminal in Thandwe is a busy place witnessing the arrival and
departure of passengers and goods day and night.
Shwehlay
and Dwarawady bridges
The two bridges —
Shwehlay and Dwarawady — are facilitating road transport between Taungup and
Thandwe. Moreover, Thandwe is also linked with Gwa by road. Better road
transport is also the main spring of social development in the district.
The direct road
links between Yangon and Taungup and Gwa in Rakhine State and the
less-than-12-hour drive to Yangon from Thandwe are the facilitators for
economic and social development.
Ngapali
Beach
Thandwe has the
Ngapali Beach and Thandwe airport, while Gwa also the Kanthaya Beach. The
yearly arrival of a large number of local and foreign visitors has boosted
hotel business in Ngapali which is generating new job opportunities for locals
who are experiencing social progress.
Taungup
Degree College
The degree college
in Taungup in Thandwe District is a higher learning centre for youths inside
and outside the area. The government in office has built 324 new basic
education schools — 11 high schools, 12 affiliated high schools, — seven middle
schools, 79 affiliated middle schools, 167 post primary schools, 19 primary
schools and 29 affiliated primary schools — in Rakhine State. It also appointed
1,332 primary teachers as a means in fulfilling the teachers for the growing
number of students. It has also brought social progress by opening the
government technical institute (Kyaukpyu), government technical institute
(Thandwe) and government technical school (Sittway) where professional
knowledge is shared. Moreover, the government upgraded Taungup college into a
degree college in Rakhine State which also has Sittway University and Kyaukpyu
Education College.
New
Taungup 100-bed hospital
Taungup degree
college on Taungup-An-Sittway Road has now become a centre of higher learning.
Although Taungup already has a 40-bed hospital, the government with the
goodwill of extending public health services is building a new 100-bed hospital
which is now at its near completion. A total of 121 rural health centres and 558
health care sub-centres are providing health services especially for the
villages in Rakhine State which has a population of 3.3 million. The government
in office spent Ks 3,953.490 million in fiscal year 2016-2017 for 52 projects
for health structure development in the 17 townships of the state, up from Ks
1,365 million for 22 projects in the previous fiscal year.
Taungup-Manaung-Kyauktaw-MraukU
route
From the port in
Taungup, coastal vessels are sailing along the Taungup-Manaung-Kyauktaw-MraukU
route. Thandwe District is gaining rapid socio-economic progress thanks to the
land, air and road transport, availability of electricity and the fulfillments
in the agriculture, health and education sectors. One of the significant
progresses of Thandwe District is the increasing number of mobile phone users.
100 units
of rural homes
The rural housing
project in Maungtaw and Buthidaung townships of Maungtaw District covers the
work of building 100 new homes.
New
Panzin creek bridge
Local people are
grateful for the government’s opening of the new Panzin creek bridge on the
road linking Maungtaw and Buthidaung townships in the northern part of Maungtaw
District during its one-year service in office on 25 March this year.
Maungtaw-Buthidaung
tarred road
In addition to the
Panzin creek bridge, Maungtaw-Buthidaung tarred road was inaugurated on the
same day. The all-weather facility and road will help develop multi sectors
including economic, social, health and education fields of Maungtaw District.
Two new
towns
The government
during its first year in office upgraded the former villages — Khamongseik and
Myinhlut — in Maungtaw District into towns, providing necessary infrastructure
to meet the requirements.
Khamongseik will
become a border trade point with Bangladesh after it is formed into a town with
five wards. Now Khamongseik has a General Administration Department office that
will oversee the upgrading project. The upgrading of Khamongseik 40 miles from
Maungtaw will surely bring progress in all sectors including transport, health
and education.
K 3660
million for 122 villages
Under the
Myaseinyaung Village Project, the government is developing 122 villages with
the provision of Ks 30 million for each village. The project to be implemented
fiscal-year-wise with a total expenditure of Ks 3660 million is aimed at
creating new job opportunities and income generation for villagers.
Border
region homes
The government
provided 183 homes and office buildings for nine border villages in Rakhine
State. Thanks to the one-year accomplishments of the incumbent government
all-round development of local people of villages and towns in Rakhne State is
gradually reaching a new and brighter age.
Translated by Tin
Maung Than