The Minister of Transport of Tajikistan, Azim Ibrohim, held a meeting with the leaders and specialists of several construction companies from Iran, which are involved in the repair and reconstruction of the Istiqlol automobile tunnel? Asia Plus reports.
"The purpose of the meeting was to conduct technical observations, analyze the current construction process, and implement the contract for the second stage of the Istiqlol automobile tunnel construction project," the press service of Tajikistan's transport agency reports.
The message states that the parties agreed on the prompt and high-quality completion of repair and restoration work on the tunnel.
It is noted that the respective agreement was signed by the two countries in January 2021. It, in particular, involves the installation of ventilation, lighting, early warning, and fire safety systems.
The construction of the Istiqlol tunnel, which connects the central part of Tajikistan with the north of the country, was planned to be completed by the end of November 2022. However, due to objective reasons, the project implementation period was extended, as previously noted by the Ministry of Transport.
According to the transport agency's data, an additional $11 million was allocated for these works.
The completion of the object is being handled by Iranian companies "Sobir" and "Farob." The construction of the Istiqlol tunnel began in 2003 under the relevant agreement between Tajikistan and Iran.
The initial construction cost was $39 million, of which the Tajik government allocated $7.8 million, and the remaining funds came from Iran in the form of a grant ($10 million) and a loan ($21.2 million).
The tunnel was officially put into operation in 2006 with the participation of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and the then President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, due to design errors, water seeped into the tunnel.
In April 2014, work on the completion of the tunnel resumed but was soon suspended due to lack of funding.
The governments of Iran and Tajikistan agreed to provide additional joint financing in equal amounts. However, these intentions were delayed until the end of the 2010s due to the cooling of relations between the two countries.
In 2021, the parties agreed to allocate additional funds (each party $5.5 million) for the completion of the object, which began in early June of the same year.
The Istiqlol tunnel runs under the high mountain pass of Anzob, located 90 km north of Dushanbe on the Dushanbe-Khujand highway (north of Tajikistan). The length of the Istiqlol tunnel is over 5 km.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 19, 2024