Roadworks Ahead
Roadworks Ahead
While the Tajik government’s focus on large projects to refurbish major highways is essential given the country’s lack of rail connections, NBCentralAsia analysts say the secondary road system is also in need of attention.
Highways account for about a third of the 14,000 kilometres of roads in Tajikistan, and most of the current 441 million US dollar programme is being invested in them. At the same time, the minor roads that connect rural areas to the towns date from the Soviet period are now in poor condition. Although these routes need to repaired and upgraded, virtually no money is being assigned from central government to do the work.
A government official who works on transport issues told NBCentralAsia, "Roads in rural and mountainous areas fall under the control of [various] ministries and departments, or they belong to former collective farms, and they will continue to be ignored. Nor do ministries have the resources to rebuild them.”
Economist Hojimahmad Umarov would like to see a new government programme that focuses especially on developing local roads, and he warns that remoter parts of the country will not become fully part of the national economy until this happens.
Others would like any government-led roadbuilding programme to attract domestic and foreign investment through tax-breaks and other incentives.
As a transport ministry representative told NBCentralAsia, "Investment is the only solution, but it is important to consider how to make these roads profitable, otherwise it will be hard to persuade people to invest.”
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
Highways account for about a third of the 14,000 kilometres of roads in Tajikistan, and most of the current 441 million US dollar programme is being invested in them. At the same time, the minor roads that connect rural areas to the towns date from the Soviet period are now in poor condition. Although these routes need to repaired and upgraded, virtually no money is being assigned from central government to do the work.
A government official who works on transport issues told NBCentralAsia, "Roads in rural and mountainous areas fall under the control of [various] ministries and departments, or they belong to former collective farms, and they will continue to be ignored. Nor do ministries have the resources to rebuild them.”
Economist Hojimahmad Umarov would like to see a new government programme that focuses especially on developing local roads, and he warns that remoter parts of the country will not become fully part of the national economy until this happens.
Others would like any government-led roadbuilding programme to attract domestic and foreign investment through tax-breaks and other incentives.
As a transport ministry representative told NBCentralAsia, "Investment is the only solution, but it is important to consider how to make these roads profitable, otherwise it will be hard to persuade people to invest.”
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
