Shop owners near Set Yoe Kya Bridge in Sittwe informed to remove by 9 September

By Aung Htein 06 Sep 2019

Aung Htein | DMG
6 September, Sittwe
 
The owners of some stalls near Set Yoe Kya Bridge in Sittwe, Arakan State encountered many problems after the township development committee informed them to remove their shops.

They were notified to abolish their stalls no later than 9 September. “We borrowed money from peopel to construct the shops. Now we’ve been informed to remove our shops and this notification presents a difficult situation for us,” said Daw Nu Nu Yin, an owner of a grocery shop.

The shops to be removed include rice shop, teashop, motorcycle repair shop, Paan shop and grocery store.

The shops were constructed on the land owned by the government and the shop owners are prohibited to construct hard structures on this land in accordance with the law, said U Kyaw Moe, Director of the township development committee. The township development committee has already informed the shop owners about removal of the stalls on 10 August.

Vendors are keen on keeping their shops open until the rainy season subsides, but they now have some difficulties, said U Maung Ba Tun, one of the shop owners.

“My family relies on this shop to provide necessities for my children’s education. If my shop closes, how can we survive? I want to run my business till the rainy season ends,” he explained.

If the shop owners fail to abide by the notification, the township development committee can exercise its authority to abolish illegal buildings and take actions against the squatters under Section (v) of the Arakan State Municipal Law 12.