Senate: From 2022 to 2024, construction began on over 13,000 sites without state registration.
During the latest plenary session, the Senate approved the law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Connection with the Improvement of the Seismic Safety Assurance System."
According to the Senate, instances of non-compliance with established norms by some builders are on the rise. In 2022, over 6,000 cases related to violations of urban planning legislation were identified, while in 2023, this number rose to nearly 8,000, and for the first 11 months of 2024, it reached almost 9,000.
As a result of identified poor construction and assembly work, construction activities have been halted on more than 4,000 sites, with approximately 1,500 demolition operations conducted over the past three years.
Additionally, there is an increasing number of cases of illegal construction by entrepreneurs. Specifically, during the period from 2022 to 2024, construction work commenced on over 13,000 sites without state registration.
Such deficiencies are attributed to various organizational and legal gaps, the Senate stated.
“For instance, examples include conducting construction work without permission, failure to comply with the master plan, violations of acceptance rules for commissioned projects, and the low effectiveness of established administrative fines for unauthorized demolition or renovation of the basement and first floor of apartment buildings. The legislation does not even define liability for failing to follow directives given by the designer,” the statement reads.
According to the Senate, this leads to non-compliance by clients with instructions from the Construction Control Inspection and designers.
“There is an increase in cases of the transformation of load-bearing parts of the basement and first floor of apartment buildings into non-residential spaces through unauthorized demolition or renovation.”
Destruction caused by severe earthquakes in recent years in other countries, particularly in Turkey, Morocco, and Syria, necessitates the implementation of targeted measures in the country aimed at ensuring seismic safety and enhancing the seismic resistance of buildings and structures, the statement notes.
The law introduces amendments to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Code of Administrative Responsibility, as well as to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Licensing, Permitting, and Notification Procedures," aimed at improving construction quality, preventing illegal construction of buildings and structures, and ensuring strict adherence to urban planning legislation.
Specifically, amendments are made to Article 2293 of the Criminal Code, which establish criminal liability for violating the rules for issuing permits for the operation of completed buildings and their acceptance into operation, constructing objects without permits from construction control inspections, and altering or reconstructing load-bearing structures in apartment buildings in violation of legislation and regulatory documents in the field of technical regulation, if such actions are committed after administrative penalties for similar offenses.
Separate criminal liability is established for violations of urban planning legislation that result in death or other severe consequences.
There is also a provision for the exemption from liability for individuals who commit a crime related to the alteration or reconstruction of load-bearing structures in apartment buildings in violation of the law for the first time and voluntarily rectify the changes or violations made, as well as their consequences.
The Senate concluded that penalties for violating urban planning legislation are also being strengthened.