DUSHANBE, February 3, 2009, Asia-Plus  - On Monday February 2, Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev held a meeting with chairmen of the city’s districts, heads of relevant municipal services and mahalla (community) councils to discuss the current economic and social problems facing the capital.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Shavkat Saidov, a spokesman for the Dushanbe mayor, said that the meeting had discussed the present electricity supply situation in the city and Ubaidulloyev had requested that district authorities and mahalla councils explain the reason for introduction of electricity rationing in the capital to the population and call on the people to apprehend the electricity rationing decision rightly and rationally and economically use electrical power.      

The mayor also demanded at the meeting that all mahalla community heads that had attained the age of superannuation should be pensioned off with a formal ceremony.  Ubaidulloyev ordered to provide funds from mayor’s reserve funds for retiring mahalla community heads.  They will receive extraordinary grant of 500 somoni each, the spokesman said.