Vice President U Henry Van Thio reviews development works in Chin State during five-day visit

Vice President U Henry Van Thio concluded his five-day tour of Chin State on 20 May after assisting in its regional socio-economic development, disaster preparedness and eco-tourism.

The vice president visited Lungrang Klang Limestone Mountain in Bonzone region near Layawm Village in Haka Township on Sunday.

After hearing the report on re-measuring the project of the limestone mountain carried out from 17 October 2017 to 31 March 2018, the vice president said according to the results of the survey, Haka has owned the prospects for building a 5,000-tonne cement plant, urging the officials concerned to pay attention to minimizing the environmental impacts when the factory is established.

The cement plant, which is expected to produce 5,000 tonnes per day, can benefit not only Chin State but also the nearby Magway and Sagaing regions by cutting down transport costs, as they currently have to transport cement from far away regions in Myaingkalay in Kayin State and Kyaukse in the Mandalay Region. The limestone mountain has an area of 36.8 square kilometres and houses some 511.13 million tonnes of limestone.

Before his visit to the limestone mountain, the vice president inspected the construction of the tower in View Point Resort that overlooks the local scenery. Officials explained the tower would have a traditional Chin door.

The vice president then travelled to milepost 17/5 on the Haka-Gangaw Road to inspect the construction of a bridge that passes over a landslide-prone area and the installation of a vetiver grass system in the retaining walls on the hillsides.

Later, the vice president visited the road specialists (12) encampment near Lamthote Village in Haka Township. U Kyaw Myo Htut, Director of State Department of Road Administration, explained the various projects his team had been undertaking in the area.

The projects include upgrading the Haka-Gangaw-Pale-Monywa road, upgrading the Haka-Matupi and Matupi-Paletwa roads that mainly connect the northern and southern parts of Chin State into tar and concrete roads this fiscal year, building retaining walls and canals along the roads to prevent landslides, and assembling a quick response team with machinery to clear blocked roads in the rainy season. U Win Tint, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Construction, gave additional information.

The vice president stressed that care must be taken to ensure all the construction projects were built by meeting the set standards for high quality and then drove along the Haka-Gangaw road for inspection, where he was welcomed by the local people of Lone Kway Village tract.

He arrived at the Roads Department office in Mintaing Pin Village in Pale Township in the Sagaing Region. Departmental Director U Myint Oo explained the expansion of the Monywa-Pale-Gangaw road into the ASEAN-Asia highway network.

Next, the vice president arrived at the construction site of the Taungyama Bridge on the Pakokku-Monywa road in Salingyi Township, where Director U Myint Oo explained the construction process. At the meeting with local people and authorities in Haka on Saturday, the vice president said the Union Government would focus on developing the transport sector in Chin State, as it was one of the many sectors lagging behind in Chin State compared to the rest of the country.

He said the construction of Surbung Airport in Falam Township was underway and requested that the local people actively participate in the development projects carried out by the government. An elder then read a list of sectors that needed development, to which Deputy Minister U Soe Aung replied and explained the programmes undertaken to address the issues, while the vice president gave the necessary instructions.

During his trip from 16 to 20 May, Vice President U Henry Van Thio attended three ceremonies by the Ministry of Defence to return farmlands to their original owners. At the ceremony in the Mandalay Region some 218.90 acres in Myittha Township were returned to the owners, while in the Sagaing Region some 401.04 acres in Kanbalu Township were returned. Some 5,160.72 acres of virgin farmlands were returned during another ceremony.

The vice president was involved in inspecting the building of embankment walls, retaining walls, multipurpose disaster shelters and the implemention of early preventive measures in the Sagaing Region and Chin State. He reviewed the works for expanding hospitals, and nurse and maternity trainings conducted for regional healthcare centres. In the education sector, the vice president checked on the works undertaken to help supplement the teaching faculty and upgrade schools.

He advised on boosting ecotourism at Sial Lum Fort, Reed Lake, Zaimmutaung National Park and Laitili Lake, opening border trade centres, expanding mulberry trees and coffee plantations, and inspected construction projects of Kalay-Tiddim-Tonzang-Kyikar road, Tiddim-Reedhorda-Falam-Haka road, and the Haka-Gangaw roads.

Myanmar News Agency

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar