By Mandy/MPA
The blockade of the Shwebo-Myitkyina highway has disrupted direct access to the region, forcing reliance on longer, alternative routes and driving up commodity prices in Kawlin and Indaw townships of upper Sagaing, local sources report.
Residents of Kawlin and Indaw townships report that efforts to avoid military council checkpoints in Kantbalu Township along the Shwebo-Myitkyina highway have caused travel delays and driven up regional commodity prices.
“Vehicles are being rerouted to alternative roads, and with additional blockades along these routes, transport costs have increased. While the base prices of goods remain the same, we’re forced to sell them at higher prices due to the costly transportation,” explained a grocery store owner in Kawlin Township.
Passenger and cargo vehicles have been avoiding the military’s Sanpya Nantha Gate, Pay Gyi Gate, and Ngapyaw Taing Gate in Kantbalu Township for nearly a month, according to transport operators and travelers.
“Traveling on the bypass routes is tough. The roads are narrow, dusty, and unfamiliar. If these detours are also blocked, we might end up sleeping on the roadside,” said one passenger.
He added that what used to be a one-day journey now requires at least one overnight stay, and for cargo trucks, the trip can stretch to two or three days.
“We also have to pay informal fees at various checkpoints. If a vehicle breaks down on these bypass roads, we’re in a difficult spot. These routes are far less secure and much more complicated than the main road,” said a driver from a local vehicle line.
With the main highway inaccessible, transport fares have soared. According to passengers in Kawlin, fares have jumped from 30,000 kyats to between 130,000 and 150,000 kyats per person. Emergency medical transportation now costs at least 1 million kyats.
As a result of these travel disruptions, prices of perishable goods such as meat, fish, and vegetables have risen sharply in Kawlin and Indaw. Prices of other essentials—including consumer goods, household items, livestock feed, and various supplies—have also increased, residents say.
