DUSHANBE, May 7, 20010, Asia-Plus — People living in the district of Varzob are continuing to protest against the toll road management mechanism introduced for the Dushanbe-Khujand-Chanak highway.
Residents of the village of Duoba in Varzob and a number of settlements subordinate to Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district today sent a petition signed by some 300 people to President Emomali Rahmon with solicitation to eliminate the toll. Copies of the petition were sent to the Prosecutor-General and heads of the Supreme and Constitution courts.
Car owners from Varzob now have to pay 7.20 to 22.40 somoni for going to and returning from Dushanbe, the letter says. According to the petition, residents of the village of Duoba drive along this highway for some 500-600 meters, they, however, have to pay 3.60 somoni on going to Dushanbe and the same amount on retuning from the city (it turns out that they have to pay 7.40 somoni for 1 kilometer), while residents of the villages of Khoja Obi Garm and Gushari have to pay 22.40 somoni.
Petitioners noted that the toll road law violated their constitutional rights. They asked the president to eliminate the toll or at least to introduce not high tolls only for drivers-entrepreneurs drivers who pass though the Anzob Tunnel and earn money.
We will recall that under the mechanism of road toll management for the Dushanbe-Khujand-Chanak highway that was introduced on April 1, vehicles are charged per kilometer; cars, trucks with load capacity of up to two tons and buses with no more than 19 seats pay 30 dirams (0.3 somoni) per kilometer, while trucks with load capacity of 2 to 7 tons and buses with 20 to 39 seats pay 60 dirams per kilometer, and trucks with load capacity of 7 to 14 tons and buses with more than 40 seats pay 1.50 somoni per kilometer. Heavy trucks with load capacity of 14 and more tons pay 1.88 somoni per kilometer. To-date, two toll stations have been built on this highway connecting the center and the north of Tajikistan. In all, seven toll service stations will be built on this highway.
