About K17 billion ($9.6 million) will be spent in a budget appropriation this year to repair roads and bridges in Arakan State, according to the state’s Road and Bridge Department, which is part of the Ministry of Construction.

The relevant “mini-budget” will cover from October 2021 to March 2022, and the remaining roads and bridges from the previous budget will be repaired with the allocated funding, Daw May Aye Aung, an officer (civil) of the state’s Road and Bridge Department, told DMG.

“Roads and bridges that were not completed in the previous budget year will be repaired within this fiscal year. There are no plans to build new roads and bridges,” she explained.

Forty-five roads will be repaired with state funding and eight roads will be repaired with Union budget funds, according to the state’s Road and Bridge Department.

Broken down by Arakan State district, the mini-budget allocates K2.8 billion for Sittwe; K1.6 billion for Mrauk-U; K1.9 billion for Maungdaw; K6.1 billion for Kyaukphyu; and K4.4 billion for Thandwe.

Four bridges longer than 50 feet are scheduled to be built in the next financial year 2022-23, Daw May Aye Aung said.

“The Letyar Chaung Bridge in Maungdaw, Min Ni Kwin Bridge in Thandwe, and Ram Thit Shay and Nga Yoke Chaung bridges in Ramree, will be built in the upcoming fiscal year,” she added.

According to the state’s Road and Bridge Department, more than K75 billion was spent from the Union and state budgets to build roads and bridges in Arakan State in the fiscal year 2020-21.