Yangon Region government has revealed a plan to construct low-cost housing to accommodate people living in marginal conditions during a session of regional parliament.
According to an official from the regional government, the plan was prompted by a call to rent land to squatters and landless people to improve their living standard by U Kyaw Myo, a member of regional parliament from Hlaing Tharyar township.
It was then endorsed by another MP who suggested the government prioritises the issue of squatters by establishing five to ten year land leasing plans.
The development of low-cost housing is considered essential, as there is not enough land to house over 38,000 households of urban migrant workers and landless people, the official said.
So far, the regional government, in cooperation with Yangon City Development Council, has been conducting assessments to allocate land for the low-cost housing plan.
According to Yangon’s former mayor U Aung Thein Lin, there are tens of thousands of acres of unused land in Yangon city area.
