Over 800 villages in Chin State inaccessible by car

09 January 2015 – More than half of the total of villages in Chin State still remains inaccessible by car, according to a source from the state government.

State Minister for Transport Ngun San Aung said that 810 out of 1,400 villages could not be reached owing to lack of road infrastructure in the areas.

He was quoted as saying that the total comprised 360 villages in Paletwa township, 166 in Mindat, 86 in Matupi, 80 in Falam, 46 in Tedim, 29 in Tonzang, 24 in Kanpetlet, 14 in Hakha and 5 in Thantlang.

Despite claims by the state government that more effort has been put into improving road conditions in areas close to bigger towns, people still have difficulties in travelling during the rainy season.

A resident in Hakha said: “Construction on roads take place almost every year and they get easily eroded and destroyed after the rainy season. Why don’t the government built a road that actually lasts for years?”

The majority of villagers in remote areas travel from one place to another on foot or/and by motorbike along tracks constructed on their own by local communities.#