“430 real estate objects were demolished without compensation in 4 years” – Ministry of Justice

In 2016-2020, 430 real estate objects across Uzbekistan were demolished without proper compensation, the Ministry of Justice reported.

According to the ministry, 6,479 properties were destroyed in 2016-2019 due to the seizure of land plots for state and public needs. 335.6 billion soums of compensation was not paid to property owners. In 2020, the value of 263 properties to be demolished amounted to 99.4 billion soums.

The judiciary received 626 complaints of property rights’ violations in 2019, 88 – in 2020 and 3 – in 2021.

In the last five years, the ministry’s report states that in 846 cases real estate was demolished without notifying its owners, in 1388 cases the deadline for notifying owners was violated, and in 1244 cases real estate was demolished without estimation.

Spokesperson for the Minister of Justice Sevara Urinbayeva told Kun.uz that in order to put an end to violations in the field, to further strengthen the inviolability of private property, currently, the Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with relevant agencies, is developing a draft law “On procedures for the withdrawal of land for public use in exchange for compensation”.

The bill provides for:

• A strict list of cases in which the land plot can be withdrawn;
• Procedure for prior discussion and consent with owners;
• Term of vacating the house (up to 6 months after payment of compensation);
• Payment for inconvenience in the amount of 5% of the value of the property;
• Indexation in case of late payment;
• Calculation of the social norm in the provision of housing for compensation;
•  Avoidance of behavior that impedes the free disposal of property.

It was noted that according to a study conducted by the Justice Ministry, in 3,908 cases, in connection with the seizure of land plots for state and public needs, the legislation was not observed in the seizure of plots of citizens.

In connection with the seizure of land plots, owners were paid 486 billion 512 million soums in compensation, 273.8 hectares of land plots were allocated. Based on the results of the work, relevant proposals were made to the Presidential Administration and the Government.