KHUJAND, September 17, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A court in the northern city of Chkalovsk is considering criminal proceedings instituted against four former top managers of the Qairoqqum hydroelectric power plant (HPP).

The trial began on September 14 and  former director of the Qairoqqum HPP Siroj Poulodov, the plant engineer-in-chief Suhrob Mamadjonov, the generator hall head Rashid Takhtamurodov and the shift engineer Maqsoud Abdulloyev as well as Jourabek Abdulloyev, an officer with the guard department within the Sughd police directorate, are standing trial.  They face charge of abuse of office, administrative dereliction and negligence.

We will recall that an accident that took place at the Qairoqqum HPP on the night of January 13-14, 2009 led to the electricity supply disruption in the Sughd province.  Sudden water flooding of the plant’s basement damaged all pumps of the power plant that provides electricity supplies to some 30 percent of Sughd’s population.

Built in 1957, the Qairoqqum HPP with rated capacity of 126,000 KW has six units and it is capable to generate 600-700 million kWh of electricity per year.