Overpayment of 619 million soums in Bukhara: who will be responsible?

**Overpayments of 619 million soums in Bukhara: Who is responsible?**

The fact that overpayments of 619 million soums were detected in Bukhara region in just six months is a serious concern. So far, 318.9 million soums unreasonably collected from consumers have been returned.

Head of the Bukhara regional department of the Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights, Vahob Qahhorov, told "Xabar.uz" that preventive measures are being strengthened in these cases. The department has studied 12 anti-competitive documents, 215 advertising violations, 250 public procurement lots and 4,586 documents of state bodies.

**Price and Tariff Control**

The department controls a wide range of areas, from monitoring prices and tariffs to state procurement, stock exchange trading, advertising and pharmacy operations. In order to ensure the legal formation and application of prices and tariffs in the region, the activities of 8 natural monopoly entities and 7 monopoly enterprises were monitored. As a result, the actual application of prices for 12 types of services and goods was analyzed. As a result of the studies, it was determined that 8 business entities overcharged consumers in the amount of 619 million soums.

Vahob Kahhorov noted that in these cases, appropriate instructions were given on recalculation in favor of consumers. According to him, an unjustified increase in prices or violation of the established procedure in the market, first of all, negatively affects the interests of consumers. Therefore, systematic monitoring of prices and tariffs, elimination of identified violations of the law, and ensuring the return of overcharged funds to consumers remain one of the important tasks.

**Public procurement and competitive environment**

Public procurement also plays an important role in ensuring a competitive environment. Competitions and tenders held through the electronic public procurement system were also monitored. During the reporting period, 250 lots with a total starting price of 70.6 billion soums were studied. Relevant instructions were given to eliminate the violations identified during the analysis.

**Inventory of government documents**

The impact of decisions and documents adopted by government bodies on the competitive environment was also studied separately. In this regard, documents adopted by 6 local governments and 1 management body were analyzed. 4,586 documents were inventoried. Anti-competitive situations were identified in 12 of them. Submissions were made to eliminate these shortcomings, cancel the relevant decisions or make changes to them.

According to the head of the department, the activities of more than 1,800 state institutions registered in the Bukhara region were also analyzed. As a result, relevant conclusions were issued on the privatization of 72 state institutions or changing their form of ownership. The goal is to create new opportunities for state participation in markets where there is competition.

**Violations in stock exchange trading**

During the reporting period, the placement of 19 types of highly liquid products on stock exchange trading by 51 entities was also investigated. In this case, the sale of products worth a total of 6.7 trillion soums through stock exchange trading was ensured. However, violations of the law were also noted in the trading processes. In particular, cases were initiated against 11 entities for manipulation of stock exchange trading.

**Protection of consumer rights**

Along with competition, the direction of consumer rights protection is also an important part of the department's activities. In order to control the quality and safety indicators of goods sold in retail outlets, control purchases were carried out. In this regard, 32 types of trade names of goods under 9 types of product nomenclature of consumer goods were studied for quality and safety indicators.

Regarding the activities of pharmacies, 62,119 consumer appeals were considered in 22 entities based on appeals received through the unified information system "Fair tech". As a result of the studies, it was revealed that a total of 318.9 million soums were wrongfully overcharged from consumers.

Vahob Kahhorov noted that appropriate measures have been taken to return these incorrectly collected funds to consumers. According to him, the protection of consumer rights is not limited to identifying violations of the law. The main result is the restoration of the violated right of the citizen, compensation for the damage caused to him and the prevention of recurrence of such situations in the future. From this point of view, each appeal requires special attention.

**Rules in advertising**

Advertising is one of the most effective means of social development. The Department also carried out control measures in the field of advertising. 940 advertising objects and materials were monitored. As a result, 215 cases of violations of the law were identified.

57 cases were initiated in connection with the identified cases. Financial fines were imposed on 11 entities that failed to comply with the instructions to eliminate violations within the established deadlines. At the same time, preventive measures were also taken to prevent violations. As a result of reviewing applications submitted online in order to facilitate services for citizens and business entities, 1,280 passports were issued.

**Overpayment of 619 million soums: Who is responsible?**

The head of the department noted that while attention was paid to limiting monopoly situations, ensuring competition in public procurement, eliminating anti-competitive decisions and ensuring transparency in stock exchanges, on the other hand, tasks such as increasing the legal literacy of the population, identifying goods of poor quality or not meeting safety requirements, and returning overcharged funds were also carried out.

Vahob Kahhorov noted that overpayments of 619 million soums were identified in just six months. This is a very sad situation. Currently, 318.9 million soums of overcharged funds have been returned to consumers. The fact that 12 anti-competitive documents, 215 advertising violations, 250 public procurement lots and 4,586 documents of state bodies have been studied shows that there is still a lot of work to be done in practice and it is very responsible. Along with the elimination of each identified violation, special attention is paid to studying its causes and strengthening preventive measures. And for every penny of overpayment, the responsible person who caused such a violation is responsible.

Thus, systematic work is being carried out to limit monopoly situations, control the legal application of prices and tariffs, ensure the principles of competition in public procurement and protect consumer rights. Most importantly, billions of soums of overpayments are being identified, violations are being eliminated, consumer rights are being restored, and conditions for equal competition in the market are expanding.