Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 5 September 2020, an offsite meeting of the Kengash of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan was held in Syrdarya region. It was attended by members of the Senate, representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, deputies of local Kengashes, workers of the khokimiyat of Syrdarya region, sector leaders, deputies of the Youth Parliament, regional activists and media workers.

At the meeting, chaired by the Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis Tanzila Narbaeva, the results of the study of the work done to eliminate the consequences of the man-made disaster at the Sardoba reservoir were discussed.

It was noted that the upper house of parliament received many appeals from citizens affected by the floods at the Sardoba reservoir. The senators examined them on site. At the same time, not only the appeals of the population were considered, but also their suggestions and comments were heard.

In addition, the working group of the Senate on 14-18 August studied the work done in Mirzaabad, Akaltyn and Sardoba districts of Syrdarya region, affected by the disaster. Senators elected from the region were also involved in this process, and to identify problems, a direct dialogue was held with the population with the participation of deputies of the Mirzaabad, Akaltyn, Sardobin district Kengashes.

Thanks to the efforts of the Working Group, it was revealed that 9.5 billion soums were not paid for the construction and repair work performed at social facilities, which were fully recovered in favor of construction organizations. In addition, a loan of 10.0 billion soums was provided for Global Idea LLC in Sardoba district. 1.7 billion soums were also allocated for the organization of the "Youth Labor Guzar" on the basis of "Nuroniilar Maskani" located in the makhalla citizens’ assembly "Khakikat" of Mirzaabad region.

With the assistance of the Working Group, 1 billion 580 million soums were paid to 1,870 citizens who participated in public works in the three affected regions.

In this regard, taking into account the problems and shortcomings identified in the course of the study carried out by the Working Group, it was considered expedient to hold a visiting session of the Kengash of the Senate for the first time.

It was noted at the meeting that the Government Commission had carried out certain work to eliminate the consequences of the flooding of the Sardoba dam. In particular, 89,450 people from 28 makhallas in three districts were evacuated to safe areas. To date, 83.4% of them have returned to their places of residence.

In addition, as a result of a man-made disaster, a total of 4,710 residential buildings were damaged, of which 2,211 turned out to be uninhabitable, and 2,499 require repair. To date, the plan for the construction of 66 multi-storey buildings with 2,640 apartments has been fulfilled by 56% to provide new housing for citizens whose houses have become unsuitable for living.

68 billion soums were also allocated to eliminate problems associated with interruptions in the work of 12 settlements due to damage to four substations, 106 transformers, 6269 poles, 345 km of power lines.

At the same time, 129.7 billion soums will be allocated to restore 106.5 km of drinking water supply networks, 8 water distribution structures, 1 km of sewerage networks in 13 settlements. Construction and repair work was carried out for 129.7 billion soums.

At the meeting, attention was drawn to some issues that need to be resolved to eliminate the consequences of a man-made disaster.

In particular, the amount of damage caused to 32 out of 175 business entities amounted to 9.1 billion soums. However, the exact amount of damage caused to the remaining 143 entrepreneurs has not been calculated and therefore no practical measures to compensate for the damage were taken.

In addition, the repair, restoration and reconstruction of educational institutions were not carried out in a timely manner. Since at present 1308 citizens live in 13 institutions, including 6 secondary schools, who have found themselves without means of subsistence. Because of this, the preparation of these educational institutions for the new academic year has been postponed.

Moreover, financing of the rehabilitation of irrigation and reclamation facilities has not been completed. Work to compensate for the damage caused to some branches of agriculture has not been carried out to the proper extent.

The issue of compensation for damage in the amount of 9.5 billion soums for re-sowing on 4204 hectares of cotton and grain fields in the affected 54 farms of Sardobin, Akaltyn and Mirzaabad regions has not been resolved. In addition, similar problems await solution in the field of fishing, livestock, poultry and gardening.

At the same time, during the meeting, it was emphasized that the work on the organization of meaningful leisure for young people, ensuring their employment, and comprehensive support for those wishing to start entrepreneurship was poorly carried out. On this issue, proposals and recommendations of the members of the Youth Parliament under the Senate were heard.

It was noted that due to the irresponsibility of the relevant officials, 3 projects in the Sardoba region worth 275 million soums and 8 projects in Mirzaabad district worth 1.27 billion soums were not implemented, and new jobs for youth were not created within the framework of the State Program “ Yoshlar - kelajagimiz ". Also, the support and employment of 186 women living in difficult housing conditions does not meet the requirements.

The work to ensure employment of the population is also not properly organized: in 11 makhallas, only 31% of the 4325 unemployed and citizens who have returned from abroad are employed.

Also during the meeting, it was noted the need for a thorough study at the state level of the problems of citizens affected by the man-made disaster in Syrdarya region with the creation of a working group, submitting a proposal to the Government Commission to eliminate the identified problems and shortcomings.

A corresponding resolution of the Kengash of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis was adopted on this issue.