The military council has issued orders regarding buildings damaged by the recent earthquake in Mandalay, requiring aesthetic barriers around damaged structures, permits for repairs, and the suspension of all ongoing construction projects. According to Mandalay residents who spoke to Yangon Modern News, these directives have created additional challenges for those already struggling with earthquake damage. The Mandalay City Development Committee has been distributing warning notices to property owners, instructing them to maintain presentable appearances of damaged buildings, including using metal sheets as barriers after demolition. These notifications have also been published on their Facebook page.
The military council’s approach has been criticized by affected residents, with one owner of a tilting high-rise building stating, ‘How can we make things look presentable when we don’t even have a place to live? Construction materials like metal sheets and cement are being sold at three to four times their normal prices. How can we afford to put up barriers when we’re already in distress?’ The Mandalay City Development Committee has implemented a color-coding system for earthquake-damaged buildings, categorizing them as blue, orange, or red level damage. Any repairs to these buildings must be approved by licensed engineers and require permits from the committee.
Furthermore, all construction projects in six Mandalay townships have been ordered to halt operations. The military council’s inspection team must verify that the main support columns of buildings under construction are undamaged before allowing work to continue. Local residents report that while the military council issues various orders, they have failed to provide actual assistance to earthquake victims. The bureaucratic process for demolishing dangerous buildings requires a minimum three-month waiting period, and residents claim that only those who can afford to pay receive priority attention.
The situation has been particularly challenging for affected residents due to the sharp increase in construction material prices and the lack of practical support from authorities. The military council’s focus on administrative orders rather than providing immediate assistance has drawn criticism from local residents, who are struggling to cope with both the physical damage to their properties and the financial burden of meeting the new requirements. The combination of stringent regulations, increased material costs, and delayed responses to demolition requests has created additional hardships for those already suffering from earthquake damage.
