29 May 2007 (Khonumthung News): A steep increase in bus fares between Hakha and Thantlang Road in Chin state is on the cards. It is going to go up to Kyat 1,500 from Kyat 1,000 because the road is damaged.
On May 20, there was a land slide near Timit village one mile from Thantlang town and bus services were crippled for a week. The road is badly damaged and is not smooth, so bus fares are going with immediate effect, a local In Thantlang said.
“The buses can travel over the stretch but passengers need to get down where the roads are damaged. They get back into the bus once the vehicle negotiates the bad stretch. The reason for raising the fire has to do with the rising cost of transport services because of bad roads,” he added.
The bus fares depend on bus owners and it will create problems for the poor.
A border visitor told Khonumthung News, “Bus drivers make profits. But it creates problems for farmers like us. We lose while drivers profit.”
Besides, the road between Hakha town and Surkhua village is also damaged due to heavy rains. Bus fare have not going up yet as the services are not regular.
Although the border development project under the SPDC government has already widened the Hakha-Thanlang road with the help of civilians, the rain can still cause landslides blocking the road.
