Bishkek City Hall initiates changes to the Code of Offenses and proposes to increase penalties for throwing, storing household garbage and other objects in unauthorized places, damaging the road, street surface, railroad crossing and trading all kinds of goods from hands, stalls, cars in unauthorized places.
The city authorities are also seeking additional powers for the City Hall to enforce mandatory vehicle towing. As the municipality noted, this will help significantly reduce traffic congestion, especially in areas where parking rules are frequently violated. Forced towing will also improve road safety since parking on sidewalks and in dangerous areas pose a threat to pedestrians and cyclists, which can lead to road accidents.
«It should be noted that the towing of improperly parked vehicles will also help preserve green spaces and lawns, which are actively being developed in the city to improve the ecological situation. Caring for these areas contributes to better air quality and creation of a comfortable urban environment, which is an important aspect for the health and well-being of the city’s residents,» the background statement says.
The draft document amends the Code of Offenses to grant local government bodies the authority to consider cases of violations and impose fines.
The City Hall informs that in matters related to urban development, landscaping, sanitation, cleaning, and maintaining cleanliness and order in the assigned territories, local government bodies face problems such as the illegal dumping of industrial and other waste, creating unauthorized landfills, damage to building facades, roads, sidewalks, road structures, burning plastic and other pollutants, and the destruction of greenery. The cause is the negligent and sometimes barbaric attitude of individuals and legal entities towards the environment and urban regulations.
The initiators propose increasing the size of fines, which fall within the competence of local government bodies. These measures are a response to the disregard of established urban development rules by citizens and legal entities, leading to environmental pollution, worsened sanitary conditions, and a negative aesthetic appearance of urban areas.
The draft excludes such a measure of administrative punishment as a warning. There will be no more warnings. As the Bishkek City Hall explains, this change aims to eliminate corruption elements in the activities of officials responsible for imposing penalties. In this case, instead of a warning, it is proposed to reduce the size of fines by 70 percent in case of payment within 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of the order to impose a penalty.
- Other fines will be significantly increased. For example, the fine for littering, dumping household waste and other items in unauthorized places will be 75 calculated rates for individuals and 230 calculated rates for legal entities.
- Dumping industrial, production, or medical waste in unauthorized places will result in a fine of 100 calculated rates for individuals and 280 calculated rates for legal entities.
- Damage of roads, streets, railway crossings, or other road structures or traffic management devices will incur a fine of 100 calculated rates for individuals and 280 calculated rates for legal entities.
- Failure to take measures to prevent pollution of the road surface or street, or violation of the rules for restoring damaged road elements after construction work that poses a threat to road safety, will result in a fine of 125 calculated rates for individuals and 350 calculated rates for legal entities.
- Sale of goods on the street, from stalls or cars in unauthorized places will result in a fine of 55 calculated rates for individuals and 170 calculated rates for legal entities.
