President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan signed a law on March 11th that strengthens penalties for unauthorized connections to electricity, gas, heating, and water supply networks. The amendments were introduced to the Administrative Responsibility Code and the Criminal Code, imposing significant fines and other measures for illegal hookups and violations of utility usage rules.

According to an announcement on the Ministry of Justice's Telegram channel, citizens who illegally connect to public utility networks or violate usage rules will face fines ranging from 15 to 20 basic calculation units (approximately 6.18 million to 8.24 million Uzbek soums). For officials, fines will be set at 25 to 30 basic calculation units (approximately 10.3 million to 12.36 million soums). Under the current legislation, these fines were 10–15 basic calculation units for citizens and 20–25 for officials.

Separate penalties have been established for connecting to electrical, gas, heating, or water networks for commercial purposes. Such violations will incur fines from 15 to 25 basic calculation units (approximately 6.18 million to 10.3 million soums) or administrative detention for up to 15 days. Currently, the fine for this offense ranges from 10 to 20 basic calculation units.

The amendments also introduce criminal liability for repeat offenses. If a violation occurs after an administrative penalty has been applied, the offender may face fines from 30 to 75 basic calculation units (approximately 12.36 million to 30.9 million soums), mandatory community service of up to 240 hours, or corrective labor for up to one year. In the current version, the minimum criminal fine is 25 basic calculation units.

The law will come into force three months after its official publication. These measures are aimed at reducing illegal usage of energy and water resources in the country, addressing economic losses and infrastructure challenges associated with unauthorized connections.

Source: kun.uz