Govt raises rent on Yangon Zoological Garden

The Department of Forestry signed a 10-year contract with the Htoo Group in 2011 with the option of renegotiating the deal every two years.
Dr Nyo Nyo Thin, a member of the Yangon Region parliament, criticised the arrangement between the Htoo Group and the zoo, saying the rent paid by the Htoo Group is too low for the large area the zoo occupies.
“Even the fresh water aquatic garden pays more than [the original] amount,” she said at a parliament meeting last year.
The contract went up for renegotiation this month, but the Yangon Region government prohibited the rent from being raised by more than 10 per cent of the original rate. Therefore, the regional parliament raised the rent to Ks 77 million per year.
Despite the raise in rent, Dr Nyo Nyo Thin said the rate is still too low.
"I don't know why the Yangon Region government said the rental charges could increase to only 10 per cent of the original rate. I know the Yangon Zoological Garden is quite a large place, and the present increased amount is still low. It should be more than the increased amount. The government lacks systematic management of its income, and that's why there is a budget deficit," the MP said.
The Htoo Group of Companies rents permits to run the zoological gardens in both Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw.
The Yangon Zoological Garden is more than 100 years.