Utility debtors to face power cutoffs

As part of a pilot program in the city of Navoi, electricity will be suspended for apartment owners with utility debts. This was announced by Sherzod Hidoyatov, the First Deputy Minister of Construction and Communal Housing Services, during a briefing at the AIMC.

According to Hidoyatov, this regulation was developed following the president's instructions. To date, the relevant billing system has been developed, and the integration with the electric grids has been finalized in preparation for the new regulation.

"Why was the city of Navoi chosen? The region's payment capacity is higher than in other areas. However, amendments to the relevant law are necessary to implement the new order. The Ministry of Energy is currently working on this," says Sherzod Hidoyatov.

He also recalled that there were plans to link waste collection fees with electricity bills. However, this direction was halted during the legislative development process.

"If there are 50 apartments in a building, and 40 pay their bills on time, why should these 40 households suffer due to the other 10 defaulting? Everyone should pay on time. We want to provide services to residents of multi-story buildings, but there are many issues associated with payment. This order is being introduced to solve these problems," explains Sherzod Hidoyatov.

It’s important to mention that recently, the Minister of Construction and Communal Housing Services issued an order confirming the minimum mandatory contributions for multi-story buildings.

The amount of these contributions varies based on several factors, including the number of floors in the building and the presence of an elevator, and can be adjusted by management companies.

These mandatory fees or contributions should not be less than the approved rates.