Chiang Mai – The offices of Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) will finalize its move to the new capital of Naypyitaw in the middle of the March, according to sources.

The new location, 250 miles removed from the current one on Pyay Road in Rangoon, is bigger and upgraded with modern facilities, said a member of the staff.

A senior officer suggested March 17 would be the last date to move "Myanmar Athan", as it is locally known, but declined to give further details.

However, a majority of servants have yet to be informed of an exact date to move and thus have found it difficult to prepare.

"Staff housing is also included in the new facility. Though, its isolated location, far from town, disappoints the servants. If you want to go to market you have to go a long way," another employee told Mizzima.

Government controlled MRTV has been moving piece by piece to its new headquarters, built on a barren plain with scrub vegetation, since September 2007. Engineers were first to arrive.

The military government surprised people with the announced move of MRTV to Naypyitaw, saying the new location is a hub for the country and provides the foundation for a modern and developed country. But critics say it is far removed from the people.

The current building on Pyay Road is to be handed over to a section of MRTV4 which is partially privately operated but editorially controlled by the government.

The original name for the government's communications enterprise, "Bama Athan," was established on February 15, 1946.