It was established that a foreign enterprise operating in the Samarkand region caused significant damage to nature. This was reported by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change.
According to the information, the enterprise illegally extracted about 51 thousand cubic meters of soil in violation of the terms of the previously obtained license and the requirements of the current legislation. As a result, environmental damage amounted to more than 7 billion 374 million soums.
The inspection conducted by the State Environmental Control Inspectorate under the Ministry covered the activities of the foreign enterprise "S.I.," located in the Bulungur district of the Samarkand region.
According to the results of the investigation, on November 25, 2024, by the decision of the State Enterprise "Center for Subsoil Use" of the Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology of Uzbekistan, the Jomboy 3 site was provided through an electronic auction for geological exploration. This territory, covering an area of 11.3 hectares, is located 7.7 km northwest of the center of the Bulungur district of Samarkand.
The foreign company "S.I." was declared the winner of the auction and officially received permission to conduct geological surveys on November 27, 2024. However, the company abused this permit and began illegal mining operations instead of the activity designated as geological exploration.
According to official data, the company "S.I." did not issue the appropriate mining license and did not comply with the auction requirements. During the investigation, it was revealed that he illegally extracted 50,859 cubic meters of soil (loess-like rocks).
"These actions violated Articles 18-48 of the Law "On Environmental Protection" and Article 34 of the Law "On Subsoil." The amount of damage caused to nature was estimated at 7 billion 374 million 591 thousand 250 soums," the ministry said in a statement.
Currently, all collected documents have been sent to the Prosecutor General's Office for a legal assessment of the situation and taking measures of responsibility.
Ecologists emphasize that this situation can have a serious impact on the environment, which means that it may take years for soil layers to recover. Therefore, every license and permit for the use of natural resources must be under strict control.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
