DUSHANBE, July 18, 2008, Asia-Plus – The Vanj district was the first leg of President Emomali Rahmon’s three-day tour of Gorno Badakhshan that started today.
During his stay the Vanj administrative center, the president met with local residents. Speaking to them, Rahmon noted that due to state funds more than 100 hectares of new lands had been developed in Vanj and compared to the previous year areas under grains, potatoes and other crops had expanded in the district, the state-run news agency, Khovar, reported.
Besides, the government has spent more than 800,000 somonis for development of agrarian sector in Vanj under the program for development of agricultural production and river basins management. “The Vanj district has good potentials for development of the agrarian sector,” the president said.
He expressed confidence that local farmers will rationally use existing opportunities to derive profit from farmland.
Noting that athletes from Vanj have got good results in gushtingiri (Tajik national wrestling), Rahmon charged the country’s Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism jointly with local authorities to work out measures to develop sports in the district and submit them for consideration to the government. He also set specific tasks on construction of a new stadium in Vanj.
The president noted that the government pays special attention to rehabilitation and construction of small and large hydropower plants, highways and bridges as well as enhancement of education and culture sectors to provide sustainable socioeconomic and cultural development of the country.
He noted that rehabilitation of roads and construction of two bridges and schools are under way in the district. Some 1.5 million somonis are expected to be allocated for construction of these facilities this year.
Within the framework of implementation of the Plan of Actions on Socioeconomic Development of Gorno Badakhshan, the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management jointly with other relevant bodies is to launch construction of fruit-processing enterprises in Vanj and take adequate measures to ensure regular work of local marble-processing workshop.
Besides, the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoI) and other relevant organizations are charged to thoroughly study the issue of construction of cement plant and development of nickel deposit in the Vanj district.
