Tashkent brushes up on Soviet urbanization methods
Concerned by the excess of young and unemployed from the countryside, the authorities re-visit the propiska system: anyone who moves from his or her district loses basic rights such as education and health care.
Tashkent (AsiaNews) - Fear of tensions and social unrest, the authorities in Uzbekistan have dusted off Soviet methods to contain growing urbanization and encourage migrants to return to the countryside. The building development projects of recent years that have brought masses of internal migrants to cities are now nearing completion and cities no longer need as much cheap labour. The last thing the government wants - a local diplomat told EurasiaNet on condition of anonymity – is having to deal with hundreds of young and unemployed with nothing to do in big cities like Tashkent.
The shadow that is shaking those in power is the Arab revolution. "We saw crowds of disaffected youth attack government buildings in Arab countries - said the diplomat - we must learn the lesson." Especially since the poorest neighbourhoods of the Uzbek capital - like Sergel, Chilonzor and Kuylyuk - have recently experienced sporadic clashes between police and protesters.
The 28 million citizens of Uzbekistan are formally obliged to live in the district written on their propiska, a kind of residence permit that dates back to the Soviet era. In recent years, however, the need for unskilled and low cost labour for the numerous construction sites in Tashkent led to authorities being more flexible. And now the effects of massive urbanization threaten to explode in the capital. According to official statistics, the city had 2.2 million inhabitants in 2009, almost one million people more than in 1991 (1.5 million). For 2011 there are still no exact figures, but estimates speak of 4 million people.
There is also an economic reason that is pushing authorities to find ways to bring farmers back to their villages in the country according to many analysts, the decline in output in the cotton sector is linked to its depopulation. So the government has decided to re-apply the propiska system, increasing controls and deportations of internal immigrants considered illegal.
The decision will have serious consequences for many families who transferred years ago and now have a well organized life in Tashkent. Non-residents, for example, will be forbidden to register children for access to education or public health. The system, denounce experts, will lead to an increase in corruption: it will be enough to pay a police officer, the competent authorities or teachers at school to have a propiska in perfect order. (N.A.)
The shadow that is shaking those in power is the Arab revolution. "We saw crowds of disaffected youth attack government buildings in Arab countries - said the diplomat - we must learn the lesson." Especially since the poorest neighbourhoods of the Uzbek capital - like Sergel, Chilonzor and Kuylyuk - have recently experienced sporadic clashes between police and protesters.
The 28 million citizens of Uzbekistan are formally obliged to live in the district written on their propiska, a kind of residence permit that dates back to the Soviet era. In recent years, however, the need for unskilled and low cost labour for the numerous construction sites in Tashkent led to authorities being more flexible. And now the effects of massive urbanization threaten to explode in the capital. According to official statistics, the city had 2.2 million inhabitants in 2009, almost one million people more than in 1991 (1.5 million). For 2011 there are still no exact figures, but estimates speak of 4 million people.
There is also an economic reason that is pushing authorities to find ways to bring farmers back to their villages in the country according to many analysts, the decline in output in the cotton sector is linked to its depopulation. So the government has decided to re-apply the propiska system, increasing controls and deportations of internal immigrants considered illegal.
The decision will have serious consequences for many families who transferred years ago and now have a well organized life in Tashkent. Non-residents, for example, will be forbidden to register children for access to education or public health. The system, denounce experts, will lead to an increase in corruption: it will be enough to pay a police officer, the competent authorities or teachers at school to have a propiska in perfect order. (N.A.)
.png)
See also
More migrants drown off Yemen’s coast
11/08/2017 20:05
11/08/2017 20:05
The 'new' Mirziyoyev and Uzbekistan's old problems
17/07/2023 10:45
17/07/2023 10:45
Tashkent: Mirziyoyev re-elected president with over 80% approval
27/10/2021 09:58
27/10/2021 09:58
