SHWE Pyi Thar industrial zones’ biggest development, Wa Ta Yar, is likely to finish at the end of 2009, said project manager U Wan Myint, last week.

The project, which is alongside Hlaw Kar Road near the Hlaing River, started in October 1995 and is being developed by the Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development.

“We halted work on this project soon after it began in 1995 because the sales of land plots were not very strong. But at the start of this year these sales picked up again so we restarted development,” he said.

“This project covers a total of 1030 acres and includes space for timber processors, garment factories, consumer goods factories, food manufacturers and the plastics industry.

He added that all infrastructure, except the electricity supply, has already been finalised.

“The roads are 22-feet-wide [6.7 metres] and 8-inches-thick [about 20 centimetres] and have brick drains. Only the electricity needs to be finished and we’re awaiting permission from the Ministry of Electric Power for this. We expect to get permission at the end of May,” he said.

The zone includes 342 plots, 72 of which have already been sold. Five plots have been set aside to build a pagoda, an administration office and a nursery; and 39 are earmarked for smelters and noise-intensive factories forced out of Yangon.

Total investment in the whole project is over K8.4 billion.