Uzbek senior officials sacked over freezing winter

TASHKENT, Jan. 16– Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev dismissed several government officials for failing to prepare the country’s energy sector for the winter season. Jahongir Ortiqxo’jayev, mayor of the capital city Tashkent, along with the deputy energy minister and the head of a thermal power plant company, were removed from their posts, according…

TASHKENT, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev dismissed several government officials for failing to prepare the country’s energy sector for the winter season.

Jahongir Ortiqxo’jayev, mayor of the capital city Tashkent, along with the deputy energy minister and the head of a thermal power plant company, were removed from their posts, according to the president’s press office on Monday.

The heads of state companies Uzbekneftegaz, Uztransgaz and Regional Electric Networks were demoted to acting heads with a probation period of three months, the report said.

The Central Asian nation, with a population of around 35 million, has been struggling with unusual cold snaps since Jan. 10, according to weather officials. Enditem