Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has sharply criticized the work of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, in particular Minister Daler Juma, stating the need to take strict control over the situation in the country's electricity sector. The head of state said this during a working meeting, Sputnik.tj reports.
According to Emomali Rahmon, in the conditions of an acute shortage of funds collected for supplied electricity, it is becoming impossible to pay wages to energy workers on time. He pointed to the low efficiency of the inspectors and proposed their dismissal.
"All these thieves who go door to door and collect money must be held accountable. The population pays, and the inspectors are primarily concerned about their own pockets," the president emphasized.
The head of state recalled that on his personal initiative, a law on fines for stealing electricity was introduced in the country. "I was forced to adopt such a law, there is no other way. No leader wants people to suffer. The law was adopted to restore order and avoid power outages in winter," he noted.
The President also expressed concern about electricity losses. In 2024, according to his data, losses amounted to 4.5 billion kWh (20%), and in the first quarter of 2025 alone – 1.3 billion kWh (20.5%).
In this regard, Emomali Rahmon ordered the establishment of round-the-clock monitoring at the country's water pumping stations, of which there are 35. 70 employees will be involved in monitoring the operation of meters at the facilities – two specialists per shift.