DUSHANBE, July 18, 2014, Asia-Plus — In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Minister of Transport Khairullo Asozoda revealed on July 18 that mistakes have been made during development of the Istiqlol Tunnel construction project.
According to him, specialists from the Ministry of Transport (MoT) have detected mistakes while analyzing and implementing the project.
Asozoda noted that the project had been developed by a MoT. “The project was later corrected and submitted for examination to experts,” the minister said, noting that water was completely removed from the tunnel.
Cementation work is going on, Asozoda added.
We will recall that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the governments of Tajikistan and Iran on completion of the Istiqlol Tunnel that was endorsed by the Tajik parliament in April last year provides for allocation of additional 6 million U.S. dollars. This amount includes a US$3 million grant provided by the Government of Iran and US$3 million provided by the Government of Tajikistan.
Iran’s Saber International has been chosen to complete the construction of the tunnel.
The Istiqlol Tunnel, better known among the population as the Anzob Tunnel, has been built with assistance of Iranian specialists. Iran’s Saber International has constructed the Istiqlol Tunnel. The total project cost was estimated at 40 million US dollars, and Iran has provided US$10 million in a form of grant and extended a preferential loan worth US$21 million to Tajikistan.
The tunnel makes the highway from Dushanbe to Khujand open for traffic the whole year round and drops the transit time by four to five hours. An official opening ceremony of the Istiqlol Tunnel was held in July 2007; however, some works have remained unfinished.
The Istiqlol Tunnel is a five kilometer long tunnel located 80 kilometers northwest of Dushanbe. It connects the Tajik capital to Tajikistan’s second largest city, Khujand. It is also a transit route between Dushanbe and Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent. Previously, especially during the cold seasons, a lack of a direct link between northern and southern Tajikistan led to disruptions of commerce.
