“Some roadside vendors are poor while some are relatively well off. The rents are so high – ranging up to Ks1 million [US$830] a month. There will be no confrontation. Instead, we will enforce the rules,” said an official of the YCDC’s West District.

The lists of roadside stalls from the old government are due to be updated and the authorities will continue to allow shops to open after 3pm.

Most of the shops are in Kyauktada, Pabedan and Latha townships and the shops that open before 3pm will be disciplined. Kyauktada has 80 YCDC staff members, Pabedan 90 staff and Latha 30 enforcing the rules from 6am to 4pm.

There have been confrontations between YCDC staff and shopkeepers with some cases going to court.

Roadside shops contribute to traffic jams with some specialists suggesting they should be placed in a new location away from the main roads.

The roadside stallholders have been exempt from tax since June 2011, but their opening hours are limited to five hours a day, from 3pm to 8pm. The state has lost an estimated Ks800 million in tax, according to the YCDC.

Yangon is home to over 100,000 roadside shops with the number increasing 10-fold under the previous government.