Site of former Tashkent prison handed to entrepreneur instead of being turned into public park

Under a Cabinet of Ministers decree adopted in 2018, the Tashkent city administration was tasked with demolishing the former detention facility in Yunusabad district and establishing a green recreational area in its place. The prison itself had been relocated to Zangiota district in 2017.

According to the decree dated March 22, 2018, the three-hectare site was transferred to the Tashkent city administration, which was ordered to demolish the existing buildings, landscape the area, and build a modern park with full infrastructure within three months.

Seven years later, the order remains unfulfilled. The area has been left abandoned, prompting public complaints that reached the Senate in October 2025. Senator Sayyora Abdukarimova formally requested an explanation from the mayor’s office on why the government’s directive had still not been carried out.

In response, first deputy mayor Bakhtiyor Rakhmonov confirmed that the land intended for the park had been allocated to a private entrepreneur. According to his letter, the 2.9-hectare plot was handed over to the company Ogneupor LLC on October 7, 2020, as compensation for land previously seized for the construction of Yunusobod Business City.

The company had owned an industrial facility elsewhere in Yunusabad, part of which was expropriated for the business center project. In return, city authorities granted Ogneupor permanent usage rights to the former detention site.

When the 2018 decree to build a park was issued, the Tashkent mayor was Rakhmonbek Usmonov. A month later, Jahongir Artikhodjayev was appointed to the position and subsequently signed the 2020 decision transferring the land to the private company.

Ogneupor’s director said the firm had initially planned to build a refractory materials plant on the site but later abandoned the idea, as the land is located in a residential area. The company then considered constructing either a hotel or a residential complex, but construction permits were denied.

The reason, authorities explained, is that under Tashkent’s master plan approved in December 2024, the 2.9-hectare plot is designated as a conservation zone, where new construction is prohibited.

Despite this, city documents show that Ogneupor obtained positive approval from the district construction department in May 2023 for an administrative building project. A 76 m² office building was completed and officially registered in April 2024.

According to official records, the company’s land holdings on Chinobod Street, Yunusabad, once totaled 7.4 hectares in 2019 but have since been reduced to 4.4 hectares.

Ogneupor has repeatedly applied – in 2022 and several times in 2025 – to privatize the Toshturma site, but its requests were rejected on the grounds that the area lies within the conservation zone. The company’s director said that if the zoning is changed in the future, the firm plans to attract investors and build a multi-story complex with a hotel and service facilities.

Meanwhile, the long-promised park that was supposed to replace one of Tashkent’s most infamous prisons remains unbuilt.