The National Committee on Urbanization reported that the General Prosecutor's Office of Uzbekistan has launched a specialized Telegram bot. This service is intended for residents of Tashkent so they can report suspicions of illegal building construction.
Residents can use this service to document unauthorized development near residential buildings, playgrounds, sports grounds, green areas, and other public places. The bot is available on Telegram at the address @noqonuniy_qurilish_bot.
The goal of this initiative is to preserve the architectural appearance of Tashkent, ensure compliance with urban planning requirements, and prevent illegal construction.
The launch of the bot followed an order from Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration, to conduct an inventory of all construction sites in Tashkent located near residential buildings. At the end of July, she instructed the General Prosecutor's Office to inspect such sites throughout the capital.
This control was initiated after an incident in the Lolazor mahalla of the Mirabad district, where a plot of land was transferred to an investor to build a business center on the site of a children's playground. According to available information, a fence was erected around this area in 2023, after which the mahalla committee building and the children's playground itself were demolished.
Aziz Azimov, the First Deputy Head of the Department of Public Security and Law Enforcement under the Presidential Administration, noted that the plot was handed over to an investor who promised to make investments. However, over time, the area fell into disrepair.
Commenting on the situation, Saida Mirziyoyeva pointed out that the typical scheme involves leaving territories without proper maintenance, followed by fencing, tree cutting, and preparation for further construction.
Tashkent Prosecutor Anvar Urmanov was instructed to investigate similar cases throughout the city. Deputy Prosecutor General Salom Samadov announced that a criminal case was initiated after receiving information about the situation in the Lolazor mahalla.
According to Azimov, the fences installed in the mahalla must be dismantled, the children's playground restored, and the plot returned for residents' use. Saida Mirziyoyeva instructed Salom Samadov to monitor the progress of resolving this issue.
Increased control over construction comes against the backdrop of Uzbekistan considering introducing harsher penalties for violations of urban planning requirements. On August 11, the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis adopted in the first reading a bill providing for increased liability for a number of violations.
This bill proposes financial fines for serious violations, including construction and installation work carried out contrary to the general plan, master plan, or design documentation; construction without design documentation; creation of objects that do not correspond to the purpose of the land plot; as well as construction, reconstruction, or major repair of buildings without notifying the authorized body.
The proposed fine is 5 calculation units for every square meter of the object built at the time the violation was discovered. The source material indicates an amount of 2.06 million soms, which will increase to 2.2 million soms starting September 1. Paying the fine does not exempt violators from responsibility for illegal construction.
Thus, the new Telegram bot provides an additional channel for identifying urban zoning violations in Tashkent while authorities intensify inspections of construction sites and prepare new measures of accountability.
