DUSHANBE, December 9, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajik state rail company, Rohi Ohani Tojikiston (Tajik Railways), has not yet received detailed information about the explosion that damaged a railway bridge in Uzbek territory from their Uzbek counterparts.
The source in Tajik Railways says that they recently received letter from O’zbekiston Temir Yollari (Uzbekistan’s state railway company), in which they just say that the cause of the explosion is under investigation. “There was no any information about the date of rehabilitation of the bridge,” the source said.
Meanwhile, freight cars carrying humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable sections of the population in Khatlon province are being stranded on Uzbek territory.
Ms. Alzira Ferreira, WFP Country Director for Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus Friday afternoon that 23 freight cars of food products the WFP Country Office planned to distribute to vulnerable people and schoolchildren in Khatlon this winter have been stranded on Uzbek territory. “Eighteen freight cars carrying wheat flour, four freight cars carrying vegetable oil and on freight car carrying peas are being stranded in Uzbekistan,” said Ms. Ferreira. “A total weight of this cargo is 1.367 tons and a total cost of the cargo, including purchase and delivery to vulnerable people, is some one million U.S dollars.”
If these freight cars are redirected to Dushanbe, the organization will bear additional expenses, the WFP country director stressed. “We will have to transport the cargo from Dushanbe to Khatlon by vehicles and additional expenses will amount to 39,000 U.S. dollars,” noted Ms. Ferreira, “However, we do not think about additional expenses at this moment. We are worried that vulnerable people cannot receive our aid at proper time. Thus, we had to reduce food rations for schoolchildren because part of those products was intended for them.”
According to Ms. Ferreira, the organization has applied to all instances for clarification of the situation. “When we have applied to Tajik Railways, they have promised that the issue will be resolved soon, but they did not specify the date,” she said, noting that the main supplier of those goods for the organization – Russia – is also seeking solution to the problem. “They have also failed to receive intelligible replay from Uzbek rail authorities so far,” the WFP country director said.
We will recall that the bridge on the train track between the Uzbek towns of Ghalaba and Amuzang was damaged overnight on November 16-17 that caused rail traffic between Termez in Uzbekistan and the Tajik city of Qurghon Teppa to be shut down.
According to Tajik rail authorities, more than 320 freight cars bound for Tajik province of Khatlon are being stranded in Uzbek territory. These freight cars are reportedly loaded with fuel, wheat flour and grains, as well as other essential goods.
Tajik Railways has not yet received detailed information from O’zbekiston Temir Yollari (Uzbekistan’s state railway company) about the accident and the extent of damage caused to the railway bridge on the Ghalaba-Amuzang train track. Tajik rail authorities, however, consider that Uzbekistan’s state railway company could rehabilitate this small bridge within a day.
Tajik Railways wrote to O’zbekiston Temir Yollari as early as November 17 proposing assistance to resume rail traffic between Termez and Qurghon Teppa as soon as possible.
Uzbek rail authorities have redirected Khatlon-bound to Dushanbe and the Dushanbe railway station is currently receiving passenger trains bound for the south of the country. “But the Dushanbe railway station is not able to receive the Khatlon-bound freight cars and organize further delivery of cargo into Khatlon,” said the Tajik Railways deputy chairman Vladimir Sobkalov. “Moreover, only shippers, who are outside Tajikistan, have the right of changing transition points. We informed our Uzbek colleagues of these problems on November 22.”
