Deputy district mayor who used force against an environmental inspector dismissed

Earlier, it was reported that in Buvayda district of Fergana region, Saidalı Khizirov, the deputy district mayor, used force against Ahrorjon Niyazov, an inspector from the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, and, with the help of law enforcement officers, took him to the district police department. It was later announced that Khizirov would undergo an official service review. The deputy mayor has now been dismissed. This was reported on the Telegram channel of the special commission responsible for implementing urgent measures to improve the ecological situation in Tashkent.

According to the report, an operational group was formed by the relevant authorities to investigate the incident.

“As a result of the investigation, Buvayda district deputy mayor Saidalı Khizirov has been removed from his position,” the statement said.

Rasul Kusherbayev, adviser to the chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, stated that the inspector had quickly responded to a citizen complaint, arrived at the scene, identified the illegal tree-cutting, stopped it, and attempted to properly document the violation.

How can it be explained that, during this incident, a law enforcement officer stood by as a witness while the deputy mayor used force, even physically dragging the inspector by the collar?

On 19 November this year, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree titled “On measures to create a management system capable of responding promptly to the needs of the population in the fields of ecology and tourism.” The decree specifies that employees of the regional and district (city) branches of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change are not part of local executive authorities, operate independently, and are accountable to the committee. Despite the decree being signed just a week ago and environmental issues being a national priority, some district mayors and their deputies continue to disregard environmental inspectors, use force against them, and obstruct their work. Either they have not read the presidential decree, or they simply do not care.

It is worth noting that Rasul Kusherbayev had previously spoken about a similar incident. Last year, while measures were being taken against organizations polluting the environment in the capital, unknown individuals abducted the then–first deputy minister of ecology, environmental protection, and climate change.