Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Heating charges for residents of 5,500 apartments in Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya Region have been recalculated by nearly 2.3 billion soums for periods when central heating was unavailable.
The adjustment followed an inspection of boiler operations, which identified cases in which residents had been charged for periods without heating services, the press service of Uzbekistan’s Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee said.
The committee’s regional office examined the quality of central heating services in apartment buildings across the region. Heat was supplied by local boiler houses operated by Issiqlik Ta’minoti LLC.
The company served 384 apartment buildings in Karshi and the Nishan, Kasansay and Yakkabag districts.
A total of 14,448 apartments were connected to the central heating system. The company also had heat supply contracts with 12 budget-funded and other organisations.
The inspection found that boiler houses had stopped operating at various times due to scheduled maintenance, system breakdowns, gas pressure falling below the required level, and interruptions in the supply of cold water and electricity. As a result, consumers were left without heating.
Despite the lack of service, charges continued to accrue for those periods. The committee reviewed the issue and considered adjustments to payments after the heating season in accordance with the legally established procedure.
As a result, charges for 5,500 apartments were recalculated in favour of residents. The total adjustment amounted to nearly 2.3 billion soums.
The committee said it would continue efforts to protect consumer rights and monitor compliance with requirements governing the provision of utility services.
