The draft law proposes amendments to Article 116, concerning "Damage to Water Management Facilities," by adding an alternative punishment of community service lasting from 20 to 40 hours.
Currently, this offense carries a fine of 20,000 soms for individuals and 65,000 soms for legal entities.
"The main goal of this initiative is to ensure the inevitability of punishment in cases where fines are not paid or do not have a preventive effect, fostering a respectful attitude towards the environment and communal infrastructure among offenders, as well as reducing government expenses on the enforcement of short-term arrests and the collection of unpaid fines," the explanatory note states.
In addition, the draft law proposes amendments to Article 114, concerning "Violations of the Rules for Landscaping the Territory," allowing for community service of 20 hours as an alternative to a warning.
Three amendments are made to Article 115, dedicated to "Dumping, Storing, and Burning Waste in Unauthorized Places": in part 1, a warning is replaced with community service for 20 hours; in parts 2 and 3, an alternative is proposed—community service from 20 to 30 hours instead of or in addition to a fine.
The deputy notes that the implementation of community service has several advantages:
· it allows for visible restorative justice for citizens—the offender restores the damage in the area they have spoiled;
· it helps reduce the number of unpaid fines and government expenses for their collection;
· it strengthens discipline in handling household and industrial waste, contributes to reducing illegal dumps, and improves the sanitary condition of populated areas;
· it prevents repeat offenses due to the educational effect of personal labor.
