Mon 20 Apr 2009, Lyeh Mon, IMNA
A village abbot in northern Ye Township has taken the lead on local road repairs with the support of local villagers.
The residents of Kokdut village told IMNA that their abbot contributed money left over from a monk’s funeral three months ago and collected further donations from villagers. The money paid for materials and the hiring of workers to repair the road. After two week’s work the two-mile long and ten feet wide stretch of road is already half finished.
One of the locals explained, “We needed this road repaired but the authorities wouldn’t provide anything so the abbot organized it himself using donations and the extra cash from the funeral.”
While the repairs have been going on many of the villagers have volunteered to work and provided other services.
“During the repairs there are crowds of people offering their labor and some truck owners offering to carry materials such as sand and stones. We’ve had to stop for a while due to the rain but we’ll soon continue again,” said a local female participant.
The women added that the abbot was also leading the way in the effort to get electricity for the village.
At the beginning of April local authorities in Lamine Sub-township demanded money from some residents to pay for repairs on the road by their houses even though municipal funding should have been provided.
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