The mountain road is 4,891 feet long and 60 feet wide and local community elder U Myint Maung officially signed the contract and sold it for Ks 500 million.

A local villager claimed that the local administrators sold the road to the companies without consulting with local villagers. 

They originally planned to give a sack of rice to the villagers but they distributed Ks 100,000 to each home after the local villagers refused to accept the rice, according to the local villager.

“They called the meeting only after they sold it without any consultation. The villagers can’t do anything after the administrators have done it. Also, nobody dares to speak up in the village,” he explained.

Although a new road has been built in replacement of the sold road, local residents are facing difficulties in using the road in the monsoon period.  

Hpakant-based Kachin Social Development Network (Myusha Zinlum Hpung)’s in-charge Sayar Lamawng La Tawng said the authorities have the duty to maintain the main roads when they become damaged.

“Everyone uses this road. Why did they do it? This isn’t the first time. It has happened many times. This road wasn’t built yesterday. Our local residents have the duty to protect [each other] when another person attacks us. The authorities are doing what they like for their own interests. They divided a few portion [of the money] to the public because they don’t want it under their names,” he said.

“We protected it (the road) at first. The company is digging in the surroundings [of the road] so we can’t protect it anymore. The surroundings have collapsed. That’s why we have the company build a road in another area. We didn’t sell it intentionally. We can’t sell it. We only asked for maintenance fee,” Mawmau Bum Village Administrator said to K.N.G.

Hpakant Township Administrator U Kyaw Swar Aung told K.NG that he did not know this issue in details and he will investigate the incident and act in accordance with the law.