"Fiery Valleys," a teacher accused of abuse, expensive potatoes, and tuberculosis in schools – highlights from this week's news.

Measures to combat road traffic accidents will be strengthened: responsibility for "aggressive driving" is being established

The third plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis took place in Tashkent.

One of the new laws adopted by the senators amends the Criminal, Criminal Procedure, and Administrative Codes, establishing accountability for violations in the field of road safety.

According to the amendments to the Criminal Code, criminal responsibility is introduced for repeated driving of a vehicle while intoxicated, which may result in the deprivation of certain rights for up to three years, corrective labor for a period of two to three years, or imprisonment for the same duration.

Responsibility for "aggressive driving" and "drifting" is also being established. Such legislative measures are quite relevant, as we read news about traffic accidents and see horrific footage almost every day.

In 2024, 2,200 people died on the roads of Uzbekistan due to traffic accidents. Eight thousand drivers were punished for driving a vehicle while intoxicated, having committed similar offenses again.

Meanwhile, last year, the number of traffic accidents in Uzbekistan decreased compared to 2023. Officially, 9,364 traffic accidents were registered , which is 4.8% or 475 cases less than in 2023.

The Senate of the Oliy Majlis also approved the introduction of a point-based system of fines for violations of traffic rules in Uzbekistan.

This implies the accrual of penalty points for each traffic violation. If a driver accumulates more than 12 penalty points, their driving license will be revoked for at least six months.

Furthermore, the approved law preserves the right to photograph and video police officers, as well as to disseminate these materials.

However, the law prohibits deliberate distortion of video recordings through editing and their distribution for personal gain.

A fine of 20 to 50 BRV (from 7.5 million to 18.7 million sums) or administrative detention for up to 10 days is stipulated for this.

In the case of repeated offenses of this nature, criminal responsibility is established.

The "25 Years of Independence" deposits: why did the "fiery valleys" appear?

Our editorial office received video materials filmed in the area of the "25 Years of Independence" gas field in the Baysun district of Surkhandarya. The footage captured the emergence of a "fiery valley."

"Around the closed well, small 'springs' appeared from which gas is seeping, and then they were set on fire. We are told it is due to oil leakage, but it is difficult to pinpoint. However, we do not smell anything. The authorities have been silent for a long time, even though there were many promises," said a local resident.

Another citizen reported that controllers are on duty near each such "spring."

The concerns of local residents are certainly understandable. After all, we all remember the events of September last year when an accident occurred at the "25 Years of Independence" field on September 1, and another on September 17, which resulted in fatalities.

Returning to the current videos, the Ministry of Energy commented on them. It was noted that during the work to eliminate the incident at well No. 604, a minor volume of gas accumulated through micro-cracks in voids and collectors near the earth's surface in remote areas from the well.

Work is being carried out to neutralize the accumulated gas by burning it. This is done to prevent the emission of acidic gases into the atmosphere.

Are non-state universities imposing an unofficial "tax": is this true?

The Council of Higher Education held a meeting with the heads of non-state universities, and according to economist Yulia Yusupova, contracts were distributed requiring a transfer of 4% from the proceeds of paid tuition. Such a requirement was also made last month. However, the Ministry of Higher Education denied the distribution of such contracts in private universities in response to a request from Kun.uz. Public activists condemn these illegal actions. Here is one opinion:

"When entrepreneurs who opened universities talked about these voluntary-coercive contracts, I initially did not believe it. But threats to revoke licenses or conduct inspections with subsequent accusations emerged. This is a pure return to 2015, to old Uzbekistan. Those who did not sign the 'voluntary contract' and did not pay 4% may face methods reminiscent of racketeering with 'masked shows.'"

The founder of Profi University, Bektesh Khatamov, discussed the situation with university leaders and stated that none of them received such contracts. However, he added that if this is true, the situation resembles the 1990s.

We contacted the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovations for clarification. A ministry representative stated that no contracts were passed to universities, and the decisions of the Council of Higher Education have no legal force.

A new hokim has been appointed in the Syrdarya region

Erkinjon Turdimov has been appointed acting hokim of the Syrdarya region. The corresponding decree was signed by the president.

The previous hokim of the Syrdarya region, Akmaljon Mahmudaliev, was dismissed due to shortcomings in attracting investments.

The deputy director of a school in the Surkhandarya region is accused of sexual violence against a minor student

According to reports, the deputy director intimidated a high school girl for a year, committing criminal acts. In September 2024, the student's parents learned about this and contacted law enforcement agencies.

The Commissioner for Children's Rights confirmed the incident. Based on the parents' statement, an investigation was initiated in conjunction with the internal affairs authorities. The deputy director has been taken into custody as a preventive measure.

The case has been transferred to court. The court hearing will take place in a closed session in the coming days.

The director of a school in Karshi announced a fundraising campaign for student uniforms

A video surfaced on social media showing the director of School No. 23 in Karshi announcing a fundraising campaign for student uniforms. In her address to the teachers, she demanded to collect 70,000 sums each and stated that students without uniforms would not be allowed on school grounds.

The incident was examined by responsible staff of the management.

As a result, the director faced disciplinary action in the form of a fine amounting to 25% of the average monthly salary based on the relevant order from the management leader dated January 22, 2025. The school staff was informed about the inadmissibility of such cases, and the class teachers wrote explanatory notes. The effectiveness of these measures will be seen over time.

It has been proposed to return part of the funds paid by citizens for the purchase of new housing

A video conference meeting was held to discuss the results of the implementation of the mortgage program for 2024 and plans for 2025.

During the meeting, Mirziyoyev instructed to develop proposals for returning part of the funds paid by citizens for the purchase of new housing in the form of cashback to reduce the shadow economy in the sector.

Due to renovation, the efficiency of land use will increase by 4-5 times, and costs for utilities will be halved.

It is also planned to build 20,000 apartments based on renovation this year.

At the same meeting, the president emphasized the need to develop a program to reduce wastefulness in lighting central and internal streets.

One more fact from the recent meeting: Uzbekistan plans to transition to using exclusively electricity as the energy source for new apartment buildings. This implies a rejection of two-circuit heating boilers, centralized heating supply, and the use of electric stoves for cooking.

Supporting this initiative, deputy Alisher Kadyrov stated: "People who use gas for cooking and heating their homes will not see prosperity."

The rise in potato prices: facts and opinions

On January 19, due to a sharp rise in potato prices in some regions of Kazakhstan, the government imposed a six-month ban on the export of this product to third countries.

The Ministry of Agriculture hastened to assure that potato prices would not