DUSHANBE, February 4, 2011, Asia-Plus -- A government meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov,  took place in Dushanbe on February 3.

The source at the government says the meeting brought together heads of relevant ministries and organizations to discuss ways to improve miners’ town of Shurob located in Isfara district, Sughd province.

Speaking at the meeting, the prime minister ordered to work out a socioeconomic development program for Shurob designed for 2011-2015.

The program should provide for renovation of residential buildings, creation of new jobs, construction of educational, medical and cultural facilities, provision of the town with electric power and drinking water, as well as increase in coal production and construction of combined heat and power plant (CHP) in Shurob, the source said.

The population of Shurob was about 4,000 in the early 2000s.

The town was established in 1952.  In Soviet time it had a population of 8,400 (1991), most people worked in coal-mining industry.  There were several factories, palace of culture, a stadium, a library, a movie theater, a park, etc.  The town was supplied by Moscow, and wages of local people were higher, than in many other Tajik cities.

After the breakup of the USSR in 1991, most of the coal mines, factories, culture institutions were closed and the town lost more than a half of its population.  As of 2003, many buildings went to ruins and water supply system was almost broken.