In the last three years, 34 vehicles equipped with gas cylinders have exploded, killing 23 people and seriously injuring 18 others, the Senate Speaker Tanzila Norbayeva reported.
These figures were announced on February 18, at a meeting of the parliamentary commission on monitoring the implementation of national goals and objectives in the field of sustainable development of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030.
“The technical inspection of cars has been transferred to the private sector, in some places, there are cases of extortion, and some officials are writing a certificate of technical inspection for a certain amount of money without checking the condition of the car. All of these cases are being widely discussed on social media.
The number of accidents involving vehicles with gas cylinders is growing day by day due to untimely technical inspection of vehicles and non-compliance with safety rules.
For example, in 2019/20, 11 vehicles with such cylinders exploded, while in 2021, this figure doubled to 23. As a result, 23 people died and 18 were seriously injured in the last three years,” Kun.uz correspondent quoted Tanzila Narbayeva as saying.
In her speech, the Senate Speaker stressed the need for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to establish strict control over businesses that conduct technical inspections of cars.
“The number of cases of illegal installation of CNG cylinders in vehicles and failure to conduct timely technical inspections is increasing year by year. At the 23rd plenary session of the Senate, the Committee on Defense and Security raised these issues and sent a parliamentary inquiry to the government,” the Senator Kutbiddin Burkhanov said.
According to Deputy Interior Minister Bekmurod Abdullayev, today there are 1,275 CNG filling stations in the country, 1,078 gas stations, 150 organizations engaged in the installation and maintenance of gas cylinders. There are 3 plants producing gas cylinders. Their activities are regulated by 4 resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers. The Oil and Gas Inspectorate, the State Committee for Industrial Safety, the Agency for Technical Regulation, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are responsible for overseeing the production, technical regulation, standardization, installation, and compliance with other regulations for gas cylinders.
“The Interior Ministry regularly conducts special raids to control vehicles re-equipped to run on compressed and liquefied gas fuel. During 1,540 special raids from 2021 to date, it was found that gas cylinders installed in 2,182 cars were not tested in time, gas equipment was installed in 2,236 cars arbitrarily, and administrative measures were taken against the culprits.
1,475 expired gas cylinders that do not meet the requirements of state standards were decommissioned. 133 submissions have been submitted to the relevant organizations on the identified shortcomings in this area,” Bekmurod Abdullayev said.
