Tatyana Gorkina, a representative of a cooperative of ten buildings in the "Alamedin-1" microdistrict, reported that about 6,500 people live in this area, nearly half of whom are retirees, along with many families with children and people with disabilities. The buildings were constructed in 1979, and the wear and tear on the elevators exceeds 40 years.
At a meeting of the Bishkek city council's housing and utilities commission, she noted that the company "Gorlift" has registered a thousand elevators, and only about 100 of them are replaced each year. This creates a queue of more than 10 years, with priority given to municipal buildings rather than based on emergency criteria or lifespan. According to her, homeowners' associations do not make it to the top of the list, and they will have to wait about 15 years for elevator replacements, which may be too long for many residents.
Currently, the maintenance of these buildings is carried out by a private company, costing half a million soms a year. The accumulation system is not functioning properly, and even if contributions of 300,000 soms are made annually, it will take decades to save enough for new elevators.
Gorkina also pointed out issues with accessibility and service quality at "Gorlift," highlighting the long response times of emergency services.
According to her data, there are only two emergency services operating in the city, and technical specialists work from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. This poses a risk for people trapped in elevators after six in the evening, as they may remain in a confined space until morning.
Vice Mayor Ramiz Aliyev confirmed the existence of problems at "Gorlift." Currently, the company services about 900 elevators, half of which are municipal. The lifespan of an elevator is 25 years, but around 400 elevators have already exceeded this limit, with some reaching the age of 47 years.
Every year, the Bishkek city administration plans to replace about 100 elevators, and this year, 93 elevators are scheduled for replacement.
He added that there is a special resolution allowing residents from the "other elevators" category to submit applications to "Gorlift" for reclassification to the municipal category, which will increase their chances of being replaced. The vice mayor also clarified that dispatch services do not only operate until six in the evening—teams are on duty after that time as well, ready to respond to emergencies.
Deputy Kazybek Ergeshov noted that it is unfair to divide residents into municipal and homeowners' associations. He inquired about the progress on attracting investors to expedite elevator replacements, a decision made in the previous council.
According to Ramiz Aliyev, the city administration subsidizes 100% of the costs for replacing elevators included in the title list.
If previously, during tenders, elevators of Belarusian or Chinese production were installed, this year they will be replaced with equipment from the Kyrgyz company "Shumkar."
Deputies suggested that of the 100 elevators being replaced, 70 quotas should be allocated to municipal buildings, and the remaining for "others." However, Ramiz Aliyev explained that this year's title list is already fixed, but with available funding and support from the city council, an additional list could be created.
The vice mayor also reported that the Bishkek city administration could finance up to 70% of the costs for elevator replacements through a mechanism of incentive grants for all city residents.
