Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) —  The plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis considered the Law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan”.

During the discussion, it was emphasized that in recent years the country has been consistently implementing reforms aimed at the effective protection and rational use of land and water resources. At the same time, the task of improving the mechanism for recording free lands, clarifying the procedure for transferring agricultural lands to other categories, and strengthening the responsibility of rights holders for timely payment when acquiring land plots remains relevant.

Particularly worrying is the rapid growth in groundwater withdrawal for irrigation and other purposes, which is accompanied by more frequent cases of unauthorized drilling of wells and unaccounted, uncontrolled water use. This requires the adoption of effective measures to strengthen the protection of underground water resources.

The law introduces amendments and additions to the Land Code, providing for the creation of a system for recording free lands in state ownership, the possibility of placing objects on agricultural lands that correspond to their main intended purpose, as well as automatic termination of rights to land plots in the event of late payment for their acquisition. In addition, the classification of agricultural lands is clarified and clear requirements are introduced for the transfer of irrigated lands to another category or to the category of non-irrigated. The list of situations in which it is necessary to compensate for losses in agricultural and forestry production is expanded.

Amendments to the Law “On Licensing, Permitting and Notification Procedures” provide for the establishment of liability measures for illegal drilling of wells for underground waters and failure to comply with regulations aimed at preventing dangerous geological processes. In particular, a fine in the amount of five times the tax rate is introduced for the withdrawal of underground waters without the use of water measuring devices. The procedure for obtaining a permit for drilling wells is also being improved.

The Law “On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Uzbekistan” is amended to include information on the system code of an administrative-territorial object in the State Register of Administrative-Territorial Units.

Senators noted that the adoption of this law will contribute to increasing the efficiency of land use and protection, improving water regulation, and will also ensure more accurate and transparent administrative-territorial accounting.

Following the discussion, the law was approved by the senators.

https://www.uzdaily.uz/ru/senat-odobril-zakon-ob-usilenii-kontrolia-za-zemelnymi-i-vodnymi-resursami/