According to local residents, the city's architectural services previously included their buildings in the list of structures slated for demolition. On the same day, the Uzgen city administration demolished the roof of the "Rayan" cafe.
Local residents reported that as part of the project to widen Manas Street, the administration has already partially destroyed several residential houses, even affecting the gates of some of them.
Ainura Kaldybaeva, who works at the "Nargiz" cafe, shared her story. She mentioned that she took out a loan to build her house and considers what is happening to be illegal. "We earn a living at the cafe, we built our house with loan funds. And who will pay off this loan now? The state will not help, nor will the akimat. If benefits are cut or pensions are not paid, who will feed us? We live off this cafe, feeding our children and grandchildren. If it closes, where will we go to work? There are no jobs, and the akimat does not help. We work to survive and ask that our place not be destroyed," she noted.
Jamiyla Kadyrzhanova, whose property was located near the canal, stated that she is now without housing and work. "We ended up on the street. We have 5-6 children each. My house was next to the canal, and it was included in the demolition list. My workplace has been moved several times, and I spent huge amounts of money borrowed on credit. Now I cannot pay it back. My daughters also have no housing. We ask for at least a small piece of land — they say there is none. We are citizens of Kyrgyzstan, but we cannot even get land," she added.
The neighborhood elder, Adashkhan Kochkorbaeva, reported that 31 shops located along the canal are also under threat of demolition, as authorities claim that this territory belongs to the hospital. "In our neighborhood, there are 31 shops along the canal. Demolition work began on April 5 of this year, and people have already relocated their businesses five times. More than 100 people work in these shops and cafes. Since there are almost no factories in Kyrgyzstan, this could lead to mass unemployment," she said.
She also noted that a pilot project for the improvement of the area is currently underway, resulting in demolitions, many of which may be illegal. People have state acts for the land, while authorities claim that this is a protected zone of the canal. "The canal was built for agricultural needs, not for protection. We ask for a legal and fair solution," Adashkhan added.
Manas Street, up to Gagarin Street, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport. The city administration claims that this is their territory, while the ministry says otherwise. As a result, no one is held accountable. "We ask the authorities to pay attention to this problem," she emphasized.
However, the mayor of Uzgen, Eldos Taev, refuted these accusations, stating that the sanitary protection zone of the canal in Uzgen is 15 meters, and some buildings were constructed directly over the canal. "The canal running through Uzgen has a protection zone of 15 meters, and these structures are located within this zone. Moreover, some of them are built directly over the canal by 1-1.5 meters. The district administration created a commission that identified 35 such structures in the city," the mayor reported.
"These buildings are included in the demolition list, and all work is being carried out in accordance with the law. Warnings were sent to the owners, and the Ministries of Architecture and Emergency Situations were also notified of the situation," he added.
