Jan 13, 2009 (DVB), Municipal authorities in Bogalay have been demanding money from roadside vendors if they do not remove tarpaulin sheets from the roof of their stalls, according to a local business owner.

A tea shop owner in Bogalay said the municipal authorities had targeted roadside vendors and stalls.

"They told vendors and business owners to take the [tarpaulin] roofs off their stalls and if we don’t want to, then we have to pay them 1000 kyat a day," she said.

"Some people only make about 1000 kyat a day profit and now they have had to close their businesses because they can no long cope with the fine money."

The shop owner also criticised local authorities for failing to rebuild roads destroyed by Cyclone Nargis eight months ago, and claimed many road accidents had been caused by the poor condition of the roads.

Bogalay municipal authorities were unavailable for comment.

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw