Quality of work and untimely commissioning of facilities: Alikhan Smailov responded to construction complaints of Kazakhstan
Measures to ensure the construction of 111 million square meters of housing within 7 years were considered at a meeting of the Republican headquarters for the implementation of the pre-election program of the Head of State, chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, primeminister.kz reports.
The Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development Marat Karabayev reported that in the coming years it is planned to provide new housing to more than 1 million families. In order to achieve this goal, an annual increase of 200,000 sq.m. of housing is planned to be commissioned in the country by the end of 2029. In particular, 15.3 million square metres or over 143,000 apartments are to be commissioned this year.
The akimats approved the road maps with indication of specific objects and deadlines for their implementation in due time. The Ministry, in turn, conducts monthly monitoring of each new facility. According to the results of 4 months, the republican target has been exceeded by 19%: 4.3 mln sq m were built against a plan of 3.6 mln sq m - 36.6 thousand apartments.
In addition, today there are 44 problematic objects with shared ownership in the republic. In order to regulate the issues of shared ownership construction, the Ministry had prepared a package of stimulating and tightening amendments.
The main stimulating measures will simplify the requirements to the developers. This will allow construction companies to legalize their activities by obtaining a guarantee of the Kazakhstan Housing Company and the permission of the akimats.
Tougher measures are aimed at formation of transparent mechanism of attracting shareholders' money. Among them: registration of all contracts relating to the purchase of housing under construction in the Population Service Centers, increasing of penalties for illegal attraction of shareholders' money with the further suspension of construction, prohibition of advertising without the permission for attracting of shareholders' money, etc.
The reports were also made by the Chairman of the Board of JSC Baiterek Kanat Sharlapayev, the Akim of Abay region Nurlan Urankhayev, First Deputy Akim of Mangystau region Zhumabay Karagaev and Deputy Akim of Turkestan region Nuralkhan Kusherov.
The Prime Minister stressed that the Head of State set a goal to commission 111 million square meters of new housing by 2029. In particular, last year more than 130 thousand families were able to improve their living conditions.
Here we can point out the positive examples in Astana, Almaty and the Almaty region, where the plans for commissioning housing were overfulfilled. At the same time, the plans were not fulfilled in the Ulytau, Northern Kazakhstan, and Atyrau Regions," Alikhan Smailov pointed out.
He noted that Abay, Ulytau and Mangystau regions are behind the plan for 4 months of this year.
The issue of providing housing, especially to vulnerable groups of the population, is of great social importance. This issue is most acutely felt in large cities. Currently, more than 600,000 people are registered as needing housing from the state housing fund. This issue must be addressed systematically and in stages. To do this we have a number of directions within the framework of the Concept of development of housing and communal infrastructure," Prime Minister said.
Head of the Government pointed out that one of the most important problems here is the lack of engineering infrastructure.
The capital has now encountered this problem. In Astana there is a shortage of energy resources, there is an issue of water supply. Because of this the planned volume of commissioning of housing was reduced. In order to avoid such situations all the akimats need to conduct an appropriate analysis of the prospective development of their settlements," Alikhan Smailov noted.
He stressed that planning problems are often revealed when housing is commissioned, that is why it is necessary to solve the infrastructure issues at the stage of land allocation and issuing a construction permit.
Alikhan Smailov also added that recently there have been a lot of complaints from the population about the quality of the construction work, violation of urban development plans and untimely commissioning of facilities.
For example, the owners of apartments in the "Budapest" housing complex in Astana faced a lack of heat supply before the beginning of the winter period last year. In Shymkent, an apartment building built only five years ago under the state program is already covered with deep cracks, and the elevators are constantly not working. In Almaty, over 150 facts of violations of law were revealed in the development of mountainous areas, along water reservoirs and in specially protected areas," the Prime Minister said.
According to him, a common problem is the lack of permits during construction. For example, the Tolebi Residence residential complex under construction in Almaty has no relevant documents for construction.
In Astana alone, about 90 residential complexes are now being built without the necessary package of documents. As you know, the court made a decision to demolish the Dublin housing estate which was almost ready to be built without any permits," Alikhan Smailov said.
As the head of the Government said, it is also necessary to learn from the experience of the devastating earthquake in Turkey.
The issue of tightening measures of construction control has been raised repeatedly, especially in seismically active areas. Certain measures have been taken, but they are not enough. All these issues should be taken into account in the framework of the Building Code being developed," Alikhan Smailov said.
In conclusion, he pointed out the need to ensure full and timely implementation of all plans for the commissioning of housing and engineering infrastructure provided for this year, as well as to take into account the above-mentioned shortcomings in the work. In addition, Prime Minister instructed to take measures within a month to launch a mechanism of financing an integrated development with the allocation of housing for persons in waiting lists and to update the list of persons in waiting lists to meet the established requirements by September 1.
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Kazakh PM holds operational meeting over situation in Ukraine
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Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held an operational meeting today to fulfill the tasks of the Head of State to take urgent measures in order to ensure security at the key military and civilian objects over the situation in Ukraine involving the Defence, Interior, Emergencies, Foreign Affairs, Healthcare, Transport, Energy, Industry and Construction, National Economy, and Finance Ministries, Kazinform news Agency learnt from the Government’s press service.
Kazakh Defence Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov reported on the work to ensure the protection of the strategic and infrastructure objects. The Prime Minister set tasks to enhance the work of state bodies. Maintenance of stability, law and order, transport communication and critical infrastructure safety were prioritized at the meeting.
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As earlier reported, Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave the Prime Minister, the head of the Presidential Administration, heads of national security, defence and law enforcement agencies, and governors a task to take urgent measures to ensure the security of the basic military and civilian objects over the escalation of the situation in Ukraine.
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Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan and Belarus discuss trade and economic cooperation issues
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Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko held talks in Minsk. They discussed the implementation of agreements reached at the level of the Heads of State on the development of trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Attention was paid to industrial cooperation, agriculture with emphasis on projects on deep processing of wheat, construction industry, transport, IT-sector, tourism, primeminister.kz reports.
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A visit to the Hi-Tech Park was also held in Minsk, where Olzhas Bektenov was presented digital projects being implemented in the areas of cloud technologies, cyber security, financial sector, etc.
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Central Asia is facing multiple climate-related risks, President Tokayev
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President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the World Leaders Climate Action Summit held within the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Akorda reports.
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Despite the fact that Central Asia is responsible for a mere 1% of total global emissions, the region is facing multiple climate-related risks. In order to increase the efficiency of the measures taken to address climate change, it is important to actively use advanced technologies such as AI, satellite monitoring as well as other digital instruments, allowing for early prevention and greater management of water and land resources, said the President.
Earlier it was reported that at the opening of the COP29 Climate Action Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a powerful message on the urgency of climate action.
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President Tokayev arrives at Baku Olympic Stadium to attend COP29 World Climate Action Summit
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President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived at the Baku Olympic Stadium to participate in the COP29 World Climate Action Summit, Kazinform News Agency learned from the Akorda press service.
The Head of State was greeted by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and UN Secretary General António Guterres.
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Recall that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Baku on November 11 for a working visit, to participate in the COP29 World Climate Action Summit ongoing under the aegis of the UN Climate Change Conference.
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Head of State meets ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa
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Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has met today President of the Asian Development Bank Masatsugu Asakawa who arrived in Astana to participate in the 23rd Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, Kazinform News Agency learned from the Akorda press service.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Masatsugu Asakawa on the 30th anniversary of the Kazakhstan-ADB fruitful cooperation.
The President said that Kazakhstan highly appreciates strategic character of interaction with the ADB and its contribution to the implementation of major infrastructure projects and strengthening the national financial system.
From 1994 to 2024, the ADB has financed $7 billion worth projects in Kazakhstan. In particular, the ADB was involved in the construction of the Western Europe- Western China international transport corridor and reconstruction of Aktobe - Kandyagash highway.
The Head of State emphasized the importance of further joint activity in the new priority areas. According to him, Kazakhstan continues working on economic liberalization, improvement of investment climate and creation of conditions to unlock the country’s economic potential. Decarbonization of the economy was named by the President as one of promising areas.
In turn, Masatsugu Asakawa said that the ADB welcomes Kazakhstan’s success in economic reforms and sustainable development. He assured that the ADB is ready to continue close cooperation, including participation in major projects, aimed at infrastructure modernization, social sphere improvement and investment climate strengthening.
An agreement on financing the Kyzylorda-Zhezkazgan highway construction project is set to be signed during the ADB President’s visit to Kazakhstan.
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Olzhas Bektenov discusses investment cooperation with ADB head and representatives of CAREC countries
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On behalf of the Head of State, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov took part in the 23rd Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Programme (CAREC), held in Astana under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan. The goal is to expand interaction among the Programme's member countries and international financial institutions in shaping the integrated and sustainable development of the Central Asian region, primeminister.kz reports.
The CAREC Program is an initiative of the Asian Development Bank and is implemented in partnership with leading international financial institutions. The conference was attended by Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa, CAREC Institute Director Kabir Jurazoda, European Commission Director for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Péteris Ustubes, representatives of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and other financial institutions, as well as government delegations from South Korea, Japan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Interaction of the states in the field of economic and financial stability, infrastructure development, trade, energy, water resources, decarbonisation, etc. was discussed.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov noted the relevance of the Programme for the Central Asian region. For more than 20 years, about $51 billion has been invested in the region, of which over $9 billion has been directed to projects in Kazakhstan.
We will continue to work closely with international financial institutions and CAREC member countries to achieve common objectives. We aim to develop the agro-industrial complex with a focus on deep processing and increasing the share of processed products, actively changing the structure of exports and increasing their volumes. We are also interested in implementing large-scale infrastructure projects to ensure transport connectivity and energy sustainability of the Central Asian states. I urge the countries of the region and international financial organisations to join efforts to implement joint projects," Olzhas Bektenov stressed.
In turn, President of the Asian Development Bank Masatsugu Asakawa noted that CAREC sees taking decisive action to combat climate change, building a sustainable infrastructure with early warning systems, as well as the development of digital transformation and innovation among the priorities.
The conference focused on initiatives aimed at developing human capital and improving the quality of life of the population.
At the end, an agreement on the CAREC Climate and Sustainable Development Project Preparation Facility was signed.
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Tokayev meets Russian FM Sergey Lavrov
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President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov, who arrived in Astana for a working visit, Akorda reports.
Greeting the Russian Foreign Minister, Tokayev highlighted the dynamic development of bilateral cooperation in a spirit of friendship, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership. As was noted, this is largely due to the regular political dialogue at the highest level as well as the coordinated work of the governments and parliaments of both countries.
During the meeting, special attention was attached to the preparation for the upcoming visit of Russian President Putin to Kazakhstan.
We’re seriously preparing for this visit. We believe that this is a landmark event in our interstate relationships. Our relations are exemplary and evolving dynamically. The upcoming visit is to give an additional impetus to our strategic partnership and alliance, said the President.
In turn, Lavrov reassured that all the key issues of multifaceted cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, including the agenda of the upcoming visit, are being elaborated in detail at the level of governments and foreign ministries of both countries.
The Russian Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to President Tokayev for holding the scientific and practical conference in Astana, marking 80 years since the establishment of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), which drew a wide response in diplomatic circles and media.
The interlocutors discussed the current issues of regional and international agenda, including interaction within multilateral structures and integration associations.
Earlier it was reported Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Astana on a two-day working visit.
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