Amyotha Hluttaw discusses rural infrastructure upgrades, Election Law Amendment

The fifth day of the third regular session of the Third Amyotha Hluttaw was convened at 10 am yesterday at the Amyotha Hluttaw meeting hall in the Hluttaw Complex in Nay Pyi Taw. During the session, Amyotha Hluttaw Speaker U Aung Lin Dwe announced that 198 out of a total of 209 eligible representatives attended the fifth day of the third regular session of the Third Amyotha Hluttaw. As this constituted more than half of the total membership, the meeting was declared duly convened and commenced. The attendance list was then submitted for the approval of the Hluttaw and recorded. Subsequently, Deputy Minister for Cooperatives and Rural Development U Thaik Soe explained that KanU Pond in Phayangazu Village, Paungde Township, Bago Region, serves as an irrigation water source for agricultural land rather than as a village drinking-water pond. It benefits about 120 acres of farmland, has a water surface area of approximately 2.36 acres and an average water depth of about 20 feet, but is currently obstructed by overgrown bushes. The deputy minister noted that the lake also helps maintain the groundwater table, ensuring that shallow wells and hand-dug wells in nearby villages do not face water shortages during the summer. He said local communities should carry out routine maintenance annually, while plans would be made to educate the village community and clear bushes and debris from the lake area. Renovation of the lake is estimated to cost approximately K20 million, and a proposal has been made to include the work in the 2026-2027 FY Union supplementary budget, subject to the availability of funds. Regarding the proposed improvement of the road linking Nankhon Village-tract in Ywangan Township, Danu Self-Administered Zone, Shan State (South), with Kywedap Village in Thazi Township, Mandalay Region, Deputy Minister U Thaik Soe explained that the route comprises two sections under the respective jurisdiction of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development and the Ministry of Construction. He said a four-furlong damaged section is already being repaired in the 2026-2027 FY using Union maintenance funds to facilitate travel. The fivemile and five-furlong damaged earth-road section on the Thazi Township side is approximately eight feet wide on average, and regional budget allocations will be proposed after field surveys, with work to proceed subject to the availability of funds. The threemile and one-furlong road section within Thazi Township is an earth road under the management of the Ministry of Construction and the Mandalay Region Government, directly connecting the Meiktila-Thazi-Taunggyi Road with villages. Upgrading the two-furlong earth-road section managed by the Mandalay Region Government under the Ministry of Construction into an asphalt road will be carried out using the 2027-2028 FY regional budget. Regarding the proposed upgrading of the 8,062-foot-long and 12-footwide production road passing through Letkhokpin Village in Minbu (Sagu) Township, Magway Region, the deputy minister explained that the project cannot be undertaken at present as land donations have not yet been secured and field inspections are still pending. Regarding the proposed replacement of the self-help Ngamoeyeik pedestrian suspension bridge in Hlegu Township, Yangon Region, with a new bridge capable of accommodating two-way motor-vehicle traffic, Deputy Minister U Thaik Soe stated that, as the bridge remains sound and sturdy and provides uninterrupted connectivity, upgrading it to a concrete bridge is not currently a priority, although maintenance will be carried out as necessary. Concerning the proposed replacement of the damaged 120-foot-long and 14-foot-wide wooden-decked bridge on the entrance road to Chaungwa Village, Kawthoung Township, Taninthayi Region, Deputy Minister U Thaik Soe explained that a proposal will be submitted to include the construction of a reinforced-concrete bridge in the 2027-2028 FY Union capital budget. Regarding the proposed upgrading of the 200-foot-long Htantabin Suspension Bridge in Kyaunggon Township, Ayeyawady Region, Deputy Minister U Thaik Soe stated that a project feasibility study field trip would be conducted in the 2027-2028 FY to assess the possibility of upgrading it into a bridge suited to the region. In the meantime, maintenance works to ensure smooth travel would be carried out using Union maintenance funds. As the bridge is essential for the beneficiary villages and agricultural areas, the construction of a Bailey bridge would be proposed in the 2028-2029 FY regional budget. Following this, Bill Committee Member and Ayeyawady Region Amyotha Hluttaw Representative for constituency 3, U Khaing Win Aung, explained the Bill Committee’s findings and recommendations on the Seventh Amendment to Pyithu Hluttaw Election Bill, which was sent returned with amendments and approved by the Pyithu Hluttaw. Subsequently, the Amyotha Hluttaw Speaker announced that representatives wishing to discuss the Seventh Amendment to the Pyithu Hluttaw Election Bill, as amended and sent by the Pyithu Hluttaw, may submit their names in detail, specifying the sections and subsections they wish to amend, to the Director-General of the Amyotha Hluttaw Office. The fifth day of the third regular session of the Third Amyotha Hluttaw was then adjourned, with the sixth day of the session scheduled to resume on 2 October. — MNA/TH