Kyone Dar resident U Soe Myint proudly sits in his new house and mends a fishing net.

THE lucky recipients of new low-cost houses in Kyone Dar village, Dedaye township, say they are extremely thankful for their new homes because they are far better than what they had before.

But others have criticised the allocation process as biased.

U Soe Myint, 37, who now lives in the No 7 low-cost housing complex at Kyone Dar villager was delighted with his new home. “We received this house a month ago and the authorities didn’t even ask us to help build it. Better yet, they told us we own it now – we’re daily workers and could never afford the K600,000 it took to build it,” he said with a smile.

“By mending fishing nets, I earned about K2000 a day before Nargis. But now orders have fallen by 70 percent. I never even dreamt I’d be able to live in a house like this,” he said.

“At first we heard that these low-cost homes would be given only to people who had lost their homes in the cyclone and would be paid for by instalments. We didn’t own our house or land because we were sharing with another family in Aung Thapyay village.

“But we took a risk and applied even though we couldn’t afford the cost,” he said. The 320-square-foot new house is far better than the old one, he says.

“The six windows and two doors make it quite airy in summer. One bedroom is enough for my family of four and I can work in the living room. The corrugated iron roof may be hot in summer, but it’s 12 feet high.”

He said K600,000 for the low-cost homes was fair, since all construction materials are charged at government cost. “A house like this would cost up to K3.5 million on the market,” he said.

Another satisfied villager is 54-year-old U Tin Soe, who runs a grocery shop at his house.

“My new home is much larger than the old one, and I’ve extended the facade to open a grocery shop, which brings in K15,000 a day. We’re occasional labourers, so this shop helps my family to survive day-to-day,” he said. “My previous home at Zay Yar Aung village was too cramped for a family of seven.”

Mother-of-two Ma Thuzar Nwe, 31, who lost her business in the cyclone, is also happy with her new home.

“We were very happy to get this house because we owned no land, just a small hut behind another house. My husband’s fishing net was destroyed in the cyclone and we’re short of work now.

“For now, I plant seasonal flowers in my compound and will sell them as soon as they bloom. But at the moment I have to borrow money for living expenses and I rely on donors for my children’s education.

“What we really need now is a new fishing net, which could help us earn about K80,000 a month. But it would cost K75,000,” she said sadly.

Ma Thuzar Nwe is also happy with the local infrastructure. “We’ll get electricity soon, and lamp posts,” she said. “We have a library and a fire station, but what we also need is a village clinic.”

Major Win Min Nyunt of the village relief and rehabilitation committee confirmed that a generator would be installed before the end of this month to light the 14 lamp posts along the side of the street, as well as the homes. Daw San Wai, 46, who did not receive a new home to replace the one that was destroyed, is not grumbling.

“I applied to the village authorities for a new house, but didn’t get one. Our old house collapsed, and only bare land is left. But they should give homes to people who are poorer than me, since at least we have land to build on.

“I’m not complaining, I have a motor boat to help me earn my living, with a daily income of K15,000 running between Dedaye and Kyone Dar village,” she said.