KHUJAND, May 2, 2015, Asia-Plus - Foundation stone laying ceremonies were held on May 1  in a new city in Sughd province to officially signify the start of construction of ten 12-story apartment buildings, according to the Sughd regional administration.

Some of the apartment buildings are expected to be complete by March 21, 2016 while others are expected to be completed by September next year, the source said.  

We will recall that Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on March 24 laid the cornerstone of a new modern city in the Somghor area of Sughd’s Bobojonghafourov district.

This city for more than 40,000 families or some 250,000 people, named Saihun after a nearby river, will be built on a 14,000-hectare desert land.

The new city will have 19 residential areas, some 50 schools, 40 sports centers, and numerous shopping centers and bazaars, the president’s official website says, noting that a total of 1,000 hectares of the desert around the city will be turned into orchards.