More than half a billion somoni for the reconstruction of 8 kilometers of roads

According to the Dushanbe mayor’s office, on January 31, the chairman of the capital, Rustam Emomali, stated that “in 2024, the reconstruction of 8 kilometers of roads is planned with a budget of 523 million somoni.”

“In addition, over the next three years, the construction and reconstruction of another 40 kilometers of roads with 7 overpasses is planned, with a budget of more than 3 billion somoni,” the statement noted.

The eldest son of the President of Tajikistan allocated funds totaling 523 million somoni (almost 48 million dollars) for the reconstruction of 8 kilometers of roads. Thus, the cost per kilometer of road amounts to 65 million 375 thousand somoni (almost 6 million dollars). However, experts express doubts about the adequacy of such expenses.

Tajik experts claim that the cost of reconstructing highways should be measured in square meters rather than kilometers, as it takes into account the composition, thickness of asphalt, and underlying layers. The estimated price of 65 million somoni is based on standards adopted in developed countries in Europe and the USA. In the realities of Tajikistan, where construction materials, including soil, gravel, and sand, are much cheaper, as well as more accessible labor, the cost of asphalt should be significantly lower.

According to them, in the conditions of Tajikistan and the accepted norms, the reconstruction of a rural highway starts from 1 million somoni per kilometer. The cost of reconstructing highways between cities in the country is also about 1 million somoni per kilometer.

In mountainous areas, due to the volume of work, construction of bridges, and riverbank reinforcement in some locations, the cost can reach up to 2 million US dollars. For example, work is currently underway to update and reconstruct the section of the road “Kalai-Khumb — Vanch — border of the Rushan district” in mountainous conditions in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, with a length of 109 kilometers, costing 220 million dollars.

Tajik experts state that the cost of one kilometer of road at 65 million 375 thousand somoni in the capital raises doubts and point to the presence of financial machinations and corruption in this project.

At the end of January this year, the international anti-corruption organization Transparency International published the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2023. According to this data, Tajikistan worsened its position, dropping 4 places. The country ranked 162nd out of 180 countries, scoring only 20 points, compared to 24 points in 2022. Tajikistan is positioned among countries such as Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Sudan, and Myanmar, which also scored 20 points and ranked 162nd.