A Kun.uz correspondent accompanied Tashkent Mayor Shavkat Umurzakov during his trips around the city and interviewed him about the drainage system, ecology, public transport, utility infrastructure, and responsibility to residents. According to him, the current work should lead to Tashkent entering the list of the world’s most comfortable cities within the next 5 years.
“What I fear most is not having an answer to citizens’ questions,” Umurzakov said. He stressed that ignorance of people’s problems or lack of effort to solve them is a disgrace for a leader.
Speaking about flooding after heavy rains, the mayor said that after taking office in 2023, he first studied the drainage system. A master plan has been developed, requiring about $400 million in investment for full modernization. The problem is not only money but also the management system. To address this, a project to create 12 artificial lakes has been launched, which will collect, store, and use rainwater for technical needs. The experience of Tianjin (China), Dubai, and Singapore is being adopted. Implementation will take at least three years.
Umurzakov admitted that there is nothing to boast about in ecology yet, but major projects have been launched. By the end of next year, a 300-hectare park will be created, and in the medium term, a 1,000-hectare urban forest. Also, the creation of 12 artificial lakes with a total area of 150 hectares has begun.
Explaining why kiosks are being removed from bus stops, the mayor said: “A stop is a public space, not a trading point.” According to him, previous leaders acted in their own way, but the president has set the task of turning Tashkent into a pedestrian-friendly city. When stops turn into shops, problems arise for buses: parking in front of stops, traffic jams, garbage. New stops are being built according to international standards—with a safety button, internet, schedule, and vending machines. Each stop costs $10,000–20,000, so the project is implemented on a public-private partnership basis. Entrepreneurs who had kiosks are offered alternative locations.
The mayor also stated that there should be no problems with electricity, gas, and water in the city, and his goal is to enter the top 50 or top 100 most comfortable cities in the world for living. He admitted that he rarely communicates with journalists and called it his mistake.
The full interview is available on video.
Source: kun.uz