President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed measures to improve the environmental situation in Tashkent, as reported by the state head's press service. The recent environmental issues, particularly air quality, have raised concerns among the public.
Harmful gases emitted by vehicles not meeting ecological standards and traffic congestion are identified as key factors. To address these issues, the registration and examination department of the Tashkent Road Safety Management has been transformed into a diagnostic center in the Faiyzabad Mahalla of the Mirabad district.
The center's operations have been modeled after advanced environmental protection practices in developed countries like Germany, Belgium, and France. The process of vehicle registration has been streamlined, reducing the number of stages from six to three, minimizing bureaucratic obstacles and human error.
Now, the center assesses the emission levels of vehicles and assigns a red, yellow, or green sticker with an RFID chip on the windshield based on the ecological assessment results. Future plans include dividing the city into different ecological zones based on pollution levels, with vehicle entry restricted according to their sticker color.
Access to these zones without permission will be automated, with fines collected for violations directed towards funding environmental improvement measures. The country plans to install around 100 air monitoring stations nationwide and equip 84 registration and diagnostic centers, along with 216 district branches of the Road Safety Management Service, with modern diagnostic equipment.
Incentives will be provided to encourage the population to purchase electric vehicles, including reduced fees for state registration plates for this vehicle category. By 2030, the operation of vehicles below "Euro-5" standards will be gradually restricted in Tashkent, Nukus, and regional centers, according to a presidential decree.
