KHUJAND, May 10, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Suburban bus fares have risen in Khujand, the capital of the northern Sughd province.

Abdujalil Bobojonov, the head of the branch of the Association of Public Transport Operators of Tajikistan for Sughd, told Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon that fare for the bus route from Khujand to Taboshar has risen from 3.50 somoni to 4.00 somoni, the fare for the bus routes from Khujand to Adrasman and from Khujand to Zafarobod – from 6.00 to 7.00 somoni, and for the bus route from Khujand to Shahriston district – from 9.00 to 10.00 somoni.

“Fare price hike on these routes has resulted from rising cost of diesel fuel as buses running on these routes work mainly on diesel fuel,” said Bobojonov, “The price of one liter of diesel fuel in the area has risen from 3.80 to 6.00 somoni, while in some districts, the diesel fuel is now being sold at event 7.00 somoni per one liter.”

According to him, the new fares have been coordinated with Antimonopoly Agency’s branch in the province.

In the meantime, fares for suburban and long-distance fixed-route taxies and buses in other cities and districts of the province still remain unchanged.

Bobojonov noted that 75 percent of public transportation means in northern Tajikistan work on compressed and liquefied gas.

The source at the Sughd energy and industries department says gas-filling stations in the province currently do not have any serious problems with compressed-gas- and liquefied-gas-deliveries.

“As of May 2, 2011, the province has received more than 90,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day; of this amount, 72,000 cubic meters have been distributed to the gas-filling stations,” noted the source, “There are also no problems with the liquefied-gas shipments.”  According to him, Kazakhstan and Russia provide the bulk of Sughd’s liquefied gas imports.