The key facts

  • Residents of Chakar report that after the trees were cut down and the surfaces dismantled, work has barely progressed, the area is covered in dust, and children risk being injured by rebar and stones.
  • The mahalla chairman stated that 60–70% of the work has been completed, delays are due to heat and financial issues, and completion is promised within a month.
  • The district administration's press secretary claims the work never stopped and builders only rest on weekends; a Kun.uz correspondent on October 13 saw no workers on site.

Residents unhappy with the landscaping progress

In the Chakar mahalla of the Shaykhantahur district of Tashkent, trees were cut down and paths and asphalt dismantled under the 'Obod mahalla' program, but, according to residents, the work was abandoned at an unfinished stage. This has led to dust and safety problems. One resident said that before the work began, the courtyard had many trees, playgrounds, and good asphalt paving, but now 'everything is dug up, the houses are covered in dust.' According to him, after appeals to bloggers about a month ago, the authorities promised to complete the work beautifully within two months and to have 60–70 workers on site from day one, but only four or five workers came, after which silence fell again.

Danger to children and officials' promises

Another resident complained that the work goes on for a few days and then stops for a long time: workers come, measure something, and then disappear. 'Every day promises, every day deception. We're afraid we'll be left like this into winter,' she said. According to residents, rebar and construction materials have been left on the site, causing people to fall and get injured; this is especially dangerous for playing children. The deputy head of the district, according to the resident, promised to 'fix everything immediately,' but the situation has not changed.

Complaints about the project and the environment

A third complainant said the project was not sufficiently agreed with residents: it was delivered ready-made and, according to the designer, approved by the deputy khokim. The residents' proposed comments, he said, were ultimately not taken into account. He also said he contacted the Ministry of Ecology during the tree cutting: ministry representatives asked who gave permission and stated that no permission had been given, but then said he was 'interfering with their work.' According to him, he was promised trees worth 300–500 dollars would be planted in place of the cut ones, but he believes that because the ground is covered with construction debris, planting trees alone will not solve the problem. The complainant also cited Article 49 of the Constitution concerning environmental rights.

The mahalla chairman's position

The mahalla chairman said residents' opinions had been studied: before the project began, representatives of the khokimiyat and the mahalla met with the population several times, presented the projects, and residents approved them. According to him, due to intense summer heat the work stopped for a month, then a financial problem arose, but it was resolved. With the allocated funds, 60–70% of the work has been completed, and the rest awaits further funding. The city administration, he said, promised to fully complete and hand over the site within a month — recreation areas and playgrounds will appear there. He added that the area had previously been neglected and there had been many requests for its improvement, and he took responsibility for seeing the matter through.

The district administration's response

The press secretary of the Shaykhantahur district khokimiyat stated that the work had not stopped and that builders only rest on Saturday and Sunday. 'You were given incorrect information... I myself went there last week and filmed it. The work is ongoing,' he said. According to him, the deputy khokim reported that construction will be completed by November 15, and by that deadline the work will become noticeable. At the same time, the press secretary noted that landscaping work does not require the separate consent of each resident. Kun.uz correspondents visited the site on October 13: there were no workers there, and the construction process had been halted.