According to statements from villagers, there is a severe shortage of preschool institutions in their district, and sometimes it is difficult to find suitable plots for building new kindergartens. Against this backdrop, it seems extremely unfair that land designated for social needs is being transferred to private owners and used for other purposes. One resident reported: “The demolition of the kindergarten building began in 2019. In 2023, a café was opened in its place, which has been operating for the third year now. Previously, there was a parking lot on the kindergarten's territory, and now a construction materials store has opened there. The area of the plot is about 30 acres, and according to available information, this land has been resold several times, divided into plots, and sold for about 15 thousand dollars.”
Local residents also claim that law enforcement agencies have been aware of what is happening and of attempts to reclaim the social facility for 4–5 years. “We are told that the process of returning the land is in development. But we suspect that there are actually hidden negotiations and bidding going on. If the process were truly advancing, the café and retail outlets on this land would not continue to operate. We have addressed this issue to the GKNB,” they added.
The head of the Gulistan rural council, Shukurula Satarov, reported that the plot on which the "Nookat" café is built was originally listed in the registry as a territory for a sports complex, meaning it was designated for social facilities. According to him, the area of this territory is about 2 hectares. However, for unknown reasons, this plot has now ended up in private hands, and about 22 people have state certificates for the corresponding lands.
He also noted that the transfer of land from the sports complex to private ownership began back in the 2000s. “This information is available both in the GKNB and in the prosecutor's office. Previously, it was a sports complex that was included in the master plan. According to the original documents, its area exceeds 2 hectares. Currently, negotiations are underway with citizens who have state certificates, and measures are being taken to fully return the land to municipal ownership. The kindergarten was built later, and the plot was registered in the registry according to municipal resolution No. 531 as a sports complex. We are in the process of returning the land,” Satarov concluded.
According to available data, the kindergarten plot of about 30 acres has been divided among four private individuals and registered in their ownership. They have the corresponding state certificates. It is worth noting that the population of the Gulistan rural district exceeds 25 thousand people, and currently, there are two kindergartens operating in the settlement, each with 100 places. Local residents emphasize the need to build at least ten more preschool institutions.
