DUSHANBE, August 13, 2013, Asia-Plus -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is paying a working visit to Norak today.

The purpose of the visit is for the president to get acquainted with functioning of local industrial enterprises and farming units and meet with residents of the city.

While in Norak, President Rahmon will also attend an official introduction of the 220 kV substation into operation and the groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a new school that is expected to accommodate 1,200 pupils.

Today morning, the president participated in an official ceremony of putting a new three-storey residential building in commission.  The construction of the residential building was financed by local entrepreneur Abdurahim Nazarov.  A total cost of the project is 1.4 million somoni.

Nazarov reportedly told the president that the three-room apartments will be sold for 25,000 U.S. dollars each and the four-room apartments will be sold for 30,000 U.S. dollars each.  

Norak is a city in the Khatlon province.  It is situated on the Vakhsh River, 885 meters above sea level, and is 70 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe.  It has a population of some 52,000.  The city was founded in 1960 alongside the construction of Norak Dam, which was completed in 1980.  The city also has a military area housing personnel working at the nearby optical satellite tracking facility, the Okno ("Window") complex belonging to the Russian Space Forces.