In a historic step taken by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Mali stream (not Irrawaddy River) hydro-power project has been producing electricity for 24 hours since March 2008. The achievement follows KIO's Buga Company taking up the responsibility of producing electricity in Kachin State, a KIO source said.

A KIO official from Buga Company said for supplying electricity to Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Burmese military junta on 23 March, 2007 and started producing electricity from 18 October, 2007.

The company is now supplying electricity in 27 quarters in the town for 24 hours. It has also set up 13 transformers in the town to supply the electricity, added a KIO official.

The Buga Company is selling electricity to residents at 160 Kyat per unit while government service fees are 50 Kyat per unit.

However, while many residents in town are getting electricity for 24 hours, some are yet to get power supply. Some residences have been provided meter boxes in their house and wires have been strung up to supply electricity but they are yet to get power supply.

“Wires have already been strung up and meter boxes are in place, but we still have not got electricity. The problem is that there is no pylon in our quarter, so electricity cannot be supplied to our homes,” said a resident in Lekone quarter.