"A very painful problem." More than 720 illegally built high-rises identified in Tashkent

"A very painful problem." Over 720 illegally constructed high-rise buildings discovered in Tashkent

In Tashkent, over 720 multi-story residential buildings were constructed without permits from architectural authorities. This was announced on October 13 by the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services, Sherzod Khidoyatov, during the "Government Hour" at the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

Deputy Dilmurod Ismoilov pointed out the lack of children's playgrounds, sports fields, and parking spaces near apartment buildings.

He emphasized that in a number of districts, no vacant land remains for creating the necessary infrastructure. In addition, there are cases where developers fail to fulfill their obligations to construct the playgrounds envisioned in the residential complex projects.

In response, Sherzod Khidoyatov reported that the master plan of Tashkent, approved at the end of 2024, provides for the division of the city's territory into three categories: conservation, renovation, and reconstruction zones.

The document has been digitized and made publicly available. At the same time, the minister acknowledged that prior to the approval of the master plan, the construction of apartment buildings was carried out on land plots put up for auction, including without the necessary permits.

"Previously, before the master plan was approved, many entrepreneurs built residential buildings on land plots put up for auction. Today, this has become a very painful problem. In Tashkent alone, there are more than 720 such high-rise buildings. We conducted an inventory of constructed buildings across the entire republic. These are problematic objects erected without permits from architectural authorities," Khidoyatov stated.

According to him, an inventory of constructed apartment buildings was conducted across the entire republic. Following the strengthening of oversight and the digitization of permitting procedures, cases of unauthorized construction have been successfully curbed, the head of the agency claims.

Currently, the Prosecutor General's Office is dealing with these problematic objects.

The minister explained that for each object, requirements are being established for the number of playgrounds and parking spaces in accordance with urban planning norms. The acceptance of the buildings will become possible only after the necessary conditions are created.

"After expanding the renovation program and creating the necessary conditions around these buildings, it will be possible to consider the issue of accepting them into operation... This applies not only to playgrounds or parking lots. The structural integrity of these buildings will also be studied and verified using instrumental inspection," Khidoyatov emphasized.

The head of the Ministry of Construction added that when issuing new construction permits, the requirements of the master plan and urban planning regulations are taken into account. Artificial intelligence has been integrated into the electronic project review system, which helps identify discrepancies with established requirements.

In particular, according to the minister, projects should not pass the expert evaluation if they do not provide for the necessary parking spaces, children's and sports playgrounds, as well as areas for garbage containers.

"If the data is entered incorrectly or the requirements are not met, the system automatically rejects the application. This system is already working now," he claims.

Furthermore, a presidential decree provides for the allocation of 520 billion soums for the construction and repair of playgrounds, walkways, and other infrastructure facilities.

As a reminder, a law was passed on September 28 strengthening liability for the illegal construction of apartment buildings. In particular, repeated construction without a permit after the application of an administrative penalty carries a sentence of three to five years of imprisonment.

If the violation caused a person's death or other grave consequences, the penalty is five to seven years of imprisonment. The law comes into force three months after its official publication.

In August, the Prosecutor General's Office of Uzbekistan launched the "Illegal Construction" Telegram bot (@noqonuniy_qurilish_bot), through which Tashkent residents can report instances of illegal construction.

The Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services previously urged citizens to ensure that a property is registered in the "Transparent Construction" ("Shaffof Qurilish") system before buying apartments. In that case, according to him, no issues regarding seismic safety and legality will arise.