The scale of providing the population with housing will expand even more

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A video conference on the construction of new housing and the priorities of the mortgage program for 2023 was held on April 5 under the chairmanship of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Over the past six years, the population of our country has increased by 5.5 million people and exceeded 36 million. Large-scale housing construction has been launched to create decent living conditions for people.

In particular, 326 thousand new housing units have been commissioned since 2017. The provision of housing per capita increased by 18 percent.

For this purpose, over the past three years, banks have allocated 210 thousand families 33 trillion soums of mortgage loans. 73 thousand low-income families received subsidies in the amount of 1.3 trillion soums for the payment of the first installment and interest on the loan.

As a result of the introduction of market principles into the industry, hundreds of private development companies have been formed. 11 large clusters have been created for the construction of multi-storey buildings using precast reinforced concrete structures. Due to the creation of conditions for entrepreneurs, production has increased and the cost of materials such as cement, gas block, tile, granite has decreased.

This work continued consistently last year, when multi-storey buildings for 60 thousand apartments were built. The program for the construction of 31 Yangi Uzbekistan arrays has been launched.

The implementation of the program was critically reviewed at the meeting. It is indicated that as a result of the correct selection of land plots and the creation of infrastructure, exemplary work is being carried out in Andijan and Khorezm, but in other regions the construction of arrays is stalling. In this regard, disciplinary action was announced against the deputy khokims for the construction of Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Navoi, Namangan, Samarkand, Surkhandarya, Syrdarya, Fergana and Tashkent regions. Responsible persons have been given instructions to resolve issues related to infrastructure, construction and sale of apartments.

In general, this year it is planned to increase the volume of housing construction by 1.5 times, having built 90 thousand housing units. The Head of State stressed that this would give a great impetus to the growth of economic indicators in each region. Therefore, new opportunities have been identified for the population and developers in four areas.

Firstly, in order to expand the coverage of mortgages, it will be possible to get a loan for people with insufficient official income. When determining their solvency, the turnover on their bank cards, the funds paid by them for rent, utilities and other expenses will also be taken into account.

Citizens who have paid a higher down payment will be able to get a cheaper loan from a bank. In order to accelerate the use of funds allocated for subsidies, the duration of the subsidy will be reduced from 12 months to 4 months. At the same time, citizens who have not used their certificate during these months will be granted the right to apply for a subsidy again.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance has been given instructions on financing mortgage loans and subsidies.

Another project aimed at providing the population with affordable housing is the "My First Home" program. For this purpose, a special housing company will be created under the Ministry of Construction. 36 hectares of land will be allocated in the Zangiata district of the Tashkent region, on which it is planned to build 58 apartment buildings, social facilities, entertainment centers. Due to the sale of retail and commercial space to entrepreneurs, it is possible to reduce the cost of apartments.

Responsible persons were instructed to complete the development of the master plan of the array, to conduct its expert and public discussion.

Secondly, in order to reduce the cost of construction for the period up to 2025, the customs duty on the import of wood, plywood, wooden formwork and glass will be abolished. The exemption on the customs duty on high grade cement will be extended for another year. Due to this, it is expected to reduce the cost of housing construction by 5 percent.

Contractors will be granted the right to use each floor of a house under construction as collateral, as well as to take a loan for each floor. Construction companies will be able to receive compensation and surety not for the whole array, but for one separate apartment building.

The practice of refinancing bank loans by the state will continue.

Thirdly, the availability of communications is the main issue in the timely commissioning and sale of housing. In this regard, the Ministry of Economy and Finance was instructed to allocate the necessary funds for infrastructure, and the khokims of the regions - to ensure the construction of internal roads on new massifs.

In cities with a large number of dilapidated housing, the demand for a renovation program is growing. The Head of our state stressed that there should be a legal basis for this and proposed to develop a draft law "On renovation".

The problem is also the discrepancy between the scale of construction in some regions and the capabilities of their infrastructure. For example, the population of Tashkent increases by 100 thousand people annually, and 20 thousand new apartments are required per year. The city's sewage treatment plants are operating with an excess of normal load.

In this regard, it was noted that from now on, investors-developers can be attracted to the expansion of water supply and sewerage networks, electricity and gas pipelines, and improvement of road infrastructure.

Fourth, the goal set for the current year to build 90 thousand housing units creates a large market for construction materials enterprises. At the same time, it is indicated that half of the 3 thousand enterprises for the production of reinforced concrete do not have their own laboratories.

The President stressed that these products are the main factor affecting the quality of houses, and demanded to create modern laboratories at all such enterprises.

In recent months, seismic activity has been observed both in the world and in our region. In this regard, it was decided to introduce from May 1 an order according to which, before the start of construction, the building site is subject to mandatory engineering and geological expertise, and buildings to which increased seismic safety requirements are applied will be erected exclusively by enterprises with a high rating.

The Head of State also touched upon the problems arising in the drainage system of cities, responsible persons were instructed to eliminate shortcomings.

- Mortgage is an important social issue and a great incentive for the growth of our economy. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the construction work, to perform them in a timely and high-quality manner," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The Prime Minister and his deputies, ministers and khokims provided information on the issues discussed at the meeting.