Post #27

​​On June 4, 2021, the World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan, Mr. Marco Mantovanelli visited the city of Chartak in Namangan region to get acquainted with the progress of the “Medium-sized Cities Integrated Urban Development” project. During the visit, the World Bank Country Manager was accompanied by a Senior urban development specialist Mrs. Rosanna Nitti, and other bank specialists. Anvarjon Otakhodjaev, Khokim of Chartak district, hosted a World Bank delegation. In his welcoming speech, Otahodjaev thanked the guests for the constant support of the World Bank in the implementation of the projects, expressed hope for the earliest possible achievement of results within the framework of the project. Currently, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, together with the World Bank, is implementing “Medium-sized Cities Integrated Urban Development” project. The total cost of the project is $124.1 million, the project will be implemented in 2019-2025. Chartak in Namangan region, Kagan in Bukhara region and Yangiyul in Tashkent region were identified as pilot cities in the framework of the project. In the city of Chartak, it is planned to create the first eco-city in the republic for the development of health tourism, aimed at both local and foreign tourists. Marco Mantovanelli and Anvarjon Otahodjaev jointly visited the project facilities, including the Administrative Building and the building of former Kindergarten no.17, where construction and installation work is currently underway to improve the energy efficiency of the building and transform the former Kindergarten into a Center for Youth Creativity and a museum. The delegation also visited the project areas, where it is planned urban upgrading and build an 11 km long pedestrian and bicycle Eco-trail along the Chartaksay River, which will connect the mahalla’s and sanatorium with the city center. At the same time on the territory of the Eco-trail it is planned to organize places for family recreation and entertainment, where visitors can walk, do sports, hold small themed mass events and surveillance cameras will be installed to ensure security on site. Rosanna Nitti, during her presentation, expressed her belief that the Eco-Trail will not only connect people, but also become a favorite place for local residents and city guests. During the visit, the World Bank Country Manager was presented with the complete concept and progress of the project. At the same time, it was noted that this project is a pilot, there were no such projects in Uzbekistan before. The objective of the project is to promote the economic development of the city through urban planning solutions. In Chartak, the focus is on creating opportunities for the development of health tourism. The Chartak district is widely known for the “Chartak” mineral water and health resort. Today the number of visitors is about 20-25 thousand per year. At the same time, in order to increase the flow of tourists, it is necessary to increase the infrastructure, for these purposes, the project provides for the reconstruction of city water supply and sewerage systems, added the director of the project implementation unit Gafur Atakhanov. In turn, A.Otahodjaev noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of this project slowed down significantly, but in the post-pandemic period the project shows considerable results in implementation. Following the visit, Mr. Mantovanelli emphasized that the World Bank was pleased to support the reforms undertaken by the Government of Uzbekistan and noted that the project was achieving very good results and expressed readiness to help accelerate the implementation of the project.