The draft law proposes amendments to Article 116, related to "Damage to water management facilities," adding an alternative to the current penalties in the form of community service, with a duration of 20 to 40 hours.
According to the current version of the Code, a fine is imposed for such an offense: 20,000 soms for individuals and 65,000 soms for legal entities.
“The main goals of this initiative are to ensure the inevitability of punishment in situations where fines are not paid or do not serve a preventive function, to foster a respectful attitude towards the environment among offenders, and to reduce state costs on short-term arrests and the collection of unpaid fines,” the justification states.
In addition, the draft law includes an amendment to Article 114, concerning "Violations of the rules for improving the territory," allowing for the assignment of community service for 20 hours as an alternative to a warning.
Three main amendments are made to Article 115, which regulates "Dumping, storage, and burning of waste in unauthorized places": a warning in part 1 is replaced with community service lasting 20 hours; for parts 2 and 3, an alternative is introduced - community service from 20 to 30 hours instead of a fine or in addition to it.
According to the deputy, the introduction of community service will allow:
· to ensure visible restorative justice for local residents, as the offender will restore the damaged area;
· to reduce the number of unpaid fines and the associated state costs for their collection;
· to strengthen discipline in the management of household and industrial waste, reduce the number of illegal dumps, and improve the sanitary condition of settlements;
· to decrease the likelihood of repeat offenses due to the educational effect of performing community service.
