KULOB, August 18, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Kulob Communists have brought social problems to local authorities’ attention though their representatives in the Kulob city legislature (Majlis).

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Sharif Safarov, head of the Communist Party (CPT) organization for Kulob, said that they had raised the issue of opening cafeterias with reasonable prices for youth in the city.  “At present, there are some 4,000 students in Kulob,” said Safarov, “The majority of them get miserable grants and cannot afford to go to restaurants, number of which is increasing in Kulob.”

Communists also raised the problems of passenger transport services at the legislature meeting.  “20 buses, donated to Kulob on occasion of the 2,700th anniversary of the establishment of the city, run irregularly, while fixed-route taxies (minivans) are not controlled and may stay for hours until they are filled up with people,” Safarov said.