Sittwe: Local business syndicates working on a rail route project construction site in Arakan state are facing extortion from the authorities in Sittwe, the capital, said a syndicate member.
 
“I was awarded a contract to import sleepers for the railway track for the rail route project at 180,000 kyats per ton. But the Sittwe district council pays me 150,000 kyats per ton. The rest of the 30,000 kyats is deducted as funds for three government organizations,” he said.
 
The government rate for one ton of sleepers is 180,000 kyats and the amount was decided by the government during the tender.
 
“We receive 150,000 kyats from the district council office whenever we import sleepers but we have to sign vouchers for 180,000 kyats. The official told us 30,000 kyats is meant for funds for three government organizations,” he said.
 
In the same manner importers of ponder rock for the railway project are being exploited by government authorities.
 
A rock importer told Narinjara over telephone that the government pays 36,000 kyats per unit measurement for a hundred cubic foot of rock. However, the authorities in Sittwe district give only 22,000 kyats keeping aside 14,000 kyats as funds for three government organizations.
 
He said that even though he received 22,000 kyats he had to sign receipts for 36,000 kyats for importing rocks for the railway project.
 
“It is illegal and it is tantamount to exploitation by the government authorities of local business syndicates. But we have to import continuously because we have no other business here in Arakan,” he said.
 
The money being cut by the authorities is for funding three organizations, which are the Sittwe District Council, Dakha Sa or Regional Supervision Command in English and USDA, the Union Solidarity Development Association, the military government backed civilian organisation.
 
It is learnt that sleepers and rocks are transported from remote areas of Arakan by the syndicates in motor boats and machine boats. The syndicates cannot make reasonable profits because of such exploitation by local government bodies in Arakan.