DUSHANBE, July 24, Asia-Plus - Dushanbe mayor has sacked the head of the municipal waterworks (Dushanbevodokanal or DVK) and reprimanded deputy mayor as well as chairmen of the Dushanbe districts for failing to properly implement their duties.

Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev presided over a meeting of the mayor’s office on July 24.  The meeting summed the results of work carried out by the mayor’s office in January-June 2006. 

The mayor sharply criticized the municipal structures, electricity and natural gas supplying facilities of Dushanbe for improper activity.  During the meeting it was noted that the share of industry has accounted for only 6 percent in the city’s gross domestic product (GDP) over the past six months.  “The prices of food products on the markets remain high,” the mayor stressed.  The mayor also noted that the rate of the collection of funds from the public and enterprises for water was very low.  During the meeting it was noted that if the rate of the collection of funds for electricity has amounted to 83.7 percent in January-June 2006, the rate of the collection of funds for water has been only 15 percent over the same six-month period.  Ubaidulloyev set the task to provide all gas consumers in the city with gas meter by October 1.    

The mayor demanded at the meeting that the situation should be put right in the shortest time and set precise tasks to improve the situation. 

Behrouz Safarov was relieved of the post of head of the Dushanbe municipal waterworks for failing to implement they mayor’s resolution.  He was replaced by Azam Tabarov, who previously headed the Dushanbe heating system. 

The following officials were reprimanded: the Dushanbe deputy mayors, Abdukarim Abdurrahimov and Sanovbar Rahimova, the chairman of the Shohmansur district of Dushanbe, Faridun Muhiddinov, and the chairman of the Ismoili Somoni district of Dushanbe Akbar Fayozov.  The activity of the deputy mayors, Masaid Homidov and Jamshed Mansourov, was also found “unsatisfactory.”   

Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev also set the task to prepare proposals on formation of ideological structures of all levels by August 15.