More low-cost housing under construction in Mandalay
Mandalay - Apartments are being built in six Mandalay townships to accommodate people currently squatting in temporary structures along the Ayeyawady River, according to the Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC).
Local people will be hired to work on the construction and paid 20,000 kyats per month, according to MCDC joint-secretary Thet Naing.
“We are planning to build houses for poor people so they can pay low rates. When the construction site on Strand Road is completed, we will start in Chan Mya Tharzi Township. Depending on the budget of the Development Committee, more houses will be built,” he said.
Twenty 6-story apartment buildings are being built on Strand Road, each story with 12 apartments. There will be 72 apartments in each building, so altogether there will be 1,440 apartments. Each apartment will be 20 feet¬¬ by 10 feet wide. The apartments will be rented to day labourers living along the Ayeyawady River bank.
Some Mandalay residents have criticised the decision to only rent to low-income tenants.
“The government should build houses not only for squatter people but also for middle class people. If something gets cheaper, government staff have the privilege of taking it. The government should do something for the middle and lower classes to live equally,” said a resident of Chan Aye Tharzan Township.
There are more than 55,000 people squatting along the Ayeyawady River and in Mandalay’s seven townships.
