Authorities demand money from residents for stadium construction

This year, the festive celebration of Navruz will take place in the Jaloliddini Balhi district. The President of the country, Emomali Rahmon, will be present. Residents claim that the district authorities are collecting money from them to prepare for the holiday.

Photo: Internet

A source from the Jaloliddini Balhi district, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Azda TV that representatives of the district authority are going door to door in the district center and nearby villages, demanding 20-30 somoni (2-3 dollars) from each household, and even more from entrepreneurs.

Another source from the district reported that representatives of the district authority demanded to present documents, including birth certificates, registered all family members, and only then asked for money.

“When they came to my house, they first demanded and checked the documents of all family members and registered them, and then asked for 20 somoni. I asked, why 20 somoni? One of them said: ‘You know that this year we are celebrating Navruz in our district and His Majesty (President Rahmon) will come to us? We are collecting money from the population for greening the central stadium. Each household must pay at least 20 somoni,’” the source reported.

Photo: Internet

Photos from Google Maps show that the stadium is unfinished and the area is not landscaped. According to the plan, the central stadium of the district, with a capacity of 15,000 seats, is supposed to be ready for the Navruz celebration, with modern schools and other facilities planned around it. According to residents, either there is not enough money to continue construction, or under the pretext of celebrating Navruz, the authorities want to collect money from the population for their own needs.

For such large-scale construction projects, millions of somoni are usually allocated from the republican budget according to a preliminary plan. However, in addition to the funds allocated from the budget, district authorities collect money from the population and entrepreneurs under various pretexts.