Tajiks feel pinch in funding dam

As the Tajik authorities prepare to issue shares in a giant hydroelectric scheme that could eliminate power shortages, concern is growing that people are being coerced into contributing funds for the dam.

When it is finished, the dam will be the world’s highest, but right now the Rogun hydroelectric plant is in desperate need of funding, so the government is urging people to contribute whatever they can to finish the work and help overcome severe power shortages.
According to the latest schedule, shares in the Rogun project will be issued on January 6. President Imomali Rahmon appealed to the nation on December 2 to buy shares in the plant. He set a target of US$600 million, enough to finish the dam, fill the

reservoir and get two out of what will ultimately be six generating turbines going.

Since a deal with a Russian investor fell apart in the autumn of 2007, the Tajik government has been trying to fund the remaining work on the dam by itself and is encouraging citizens to contribute either by taking out some shares or by responding to a parallel scheme – a direct appeal for cash contributions.

To encourage the spirit of giving, the official media have been full of reports of companies and private individuals – from cash-strapped students to elderly people on tiny pensions – making donations to the fund, or announcing their intention to buy shares.
But people interviewed by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) said they were being coerced into buying shares in the power plant or making a straight donation, neither of which they could afford.

Asia Times