The head of Tajikistan’s Antimonopoly Committee announced that the Innovative Road Solutions (IRS), incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, has no more right to operate the toll road on the 350-kilometer-long Dushanbe-Chanak highway. According to Amonulloh Ashur, the BVI company was permitted to operate the toll road at previously agreed prices for one month, in April, so its operation since May 1 is illegal. The agreement between the IRS and the government stated that after April the company had to co-ordinate its pricing policy with the Antimonopoly Committee.
Ashur said this was not done, and then the Committee sent a letter to IRS, the Communication and Transport Ministry, and the administration of one of the districts in Dushanbe to request that drivers not be charged for using any part of the highway.
Recently, the highway was upgraded for a US$280 million loan from China. The Tajik government announced that in order to repay the loan the highway would become a toll road. In April, small cars and microbuses have paid about 7 cents for every kilometer of this highway, since May 1 they have started to pay three times less. Nevertheless, drivers and those who had to use the road protest against the toll road, they have even sent a petition to the President of Tajikistan for its abolition.
It is considered by some analysts that the way in which the BVI company received the tender for work was not fair enough. However, Tajik Communication and Transport Minister rejected this. Technical Director of IRS said that no tender was held to gain the contract to operate the toll road, but the government of Tajikistan gave the concession to IRS and after several years the highway will be returned to the government.