DUSHANBE, May 12, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- An official ceremony of opening of two other toll service stations, Istaravshan and Chorukh, on the highway Dushanbe-Khujand-Chanak in Sughd province on May 14, according to a report posted on the website of Tajikistan’s branch of Innovative Road Solutions Ltd (IRS), which manages this highway.

Specialists from the company reportedly held a number of meetings with residents of the villages, near which the toll plazas will be installed.  They also visited the city of Istaravshan and the Shahriston, where met with local residents to discuss issues related to introduction of the road toll management mechanism.  The company representatives expressed readiness to consider proposals of local residents and take them into account when introducing the road toll management mechanism, the report said.

We will recall that the mechanism of road toll management for the section of the highway in the Varzob district was introduced on April 1.

People living in Varzob strongly protested against the toll road and sent a petition signed by some 10,000 people to President Emomali Rahmon urging the elimination of the toll.

Besides, Mr. Amonullo Ashour, the head of Antimonopoly Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, says that the toll road is now operating illegally.  He told Asia-Plus on May 5 that IRS was permitted to operate the toll at previously agreed prices on the Dushanbe-Chanak highway for one month, in April, and that the toll road operation since May 1 is illegal.  Mr. Ashour said that under the agreement between the company and the government, IRS was required to coordinate its pricing policy with the antimonopoly agency and to review the toll rates after April.  He added that the antimonopoly agency on May 4 sent a written ruling on suspension of the road toll management mechanism for the Dushanbe-Khujand-Chanak highway to IRS and copies of the ruling were sent to the Ministry of Transport Communications and the administration of the Varzob district.

According to Mr. Ashour, the antimonopoly agency has asked the government to set up a special commission to check the toll road operations.