As it turned out, residential areas in the region were included in the renovation program based on the relevant Cabinet of Ministers' resolution dated September 16, 2024. According to the project, instead of 33 morally and physically outdated houses built in 1963 in the city, modern 5- and 10-story residential buildings containing more than 2,500 apartments are planned to be constructed.
However, serious disagreements arose between the builder and property owners during the demolition of old houses and compensation payments. One of the main reasons for the dispute was that certain citizens made excessive demands. For example, in a situation where they were actually supposed to be given 67 square meters of space, demands such as "you will add another 67 square meters on top of that" or "you will give twice as much space" escalated the argument.
Yet, the «Kesh New House» company initially made numerous proposals regarding equal property-for-property exchange and allocating housing from other locations. It even came out with proposals saying, "I will give you not 67 sq.m, but 80 or 90 square meters of space, but I cannot add any more than that." However, when negotiations reached a dead end, the construction organization managed to reach a mutual agreement with 246 out of 250 households, paying them compensation in cash and via card, calculated based on extra square meters, houses from other areas, or current market prices. As for the owners of the remaining few apartments, the issue reached the court level for a mandatory settlement.
Journalists who arrived to study the situation on the spot conducted a comprehensive one-day journalistic investigation. During this process, face-to-face dialogues were held with officials from the regional prosecutor's office and regional hokimiyat, the regional hokim's deputy for construction — head of the Construction Department, the head of the regional construction inspection, the leadership of the regional Construction and Housing-Communal Services Inspection (GASN), the Shahrisabz city hokimiyat and the city hokim's deputy for construction, as well as representatives of the conflicting party, the «Kesh New House» construction company.
Following this serious study, the very next day, the appeals were fully reviewed with the participation of the creative team recalled from Tashkent and residents. Despite the existence of a court decision calculating a rather meager amount, a final decision was made in favor of the residents through the firm intervention of the regional leadership and prosecutor's office, and the leniency of the construction organization.
In accordance with the requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution, even though a court ruling had been issued, the interests of the citizens were fully protected. In particular, in addition to their own square meters, new apartments with an additional 10 square meters of space were allocated to both citizens. Another citizen was also provided with an apartment with additional square footage and financial funds. Most importantly, until the new houses are completed, «Kesh New House» company paid cash rent ranging from 20 million soms to 40 million soms to the citizens for their temporary living arrangements.
Residents of Shahrisabz whose problems were positively resolved did not hide their astonishment at such a quick and unexpected result. They noted that it was initially difficult to part with their old houses where they were born and raised, but now the new homes have all utilities and are very cozy.
The residents, whose legal rights were protected, expressed their gratitude to the Effect.uz creative team and the regional leadership for their fair approach to the problem.
In conclusion, it should be noted that at a time when cases of citizens being deceived, embezzled of funds, or left on the street through fraud by most construction companies are frequently heard, the fair and generous step taken by «Kesh New House» is commendable. Even though there was a court decision, putting an end to the problem by prioritizing the interests of the citizens and fully satisfying them can serve as an example of true transparency and responsibility for local builders.
Muhammad Ali Qozoqov, Effect.uz
