Development plan for capital is discussed in Kazakhstan

    By Daniyar Mukhtarov
    A meeting on the development of Astana took place in Kazakhstan's capital with participation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Nov.27, press-service of Kazakh President said.
    According to the report, at the meeting, the president said that during the recent visit to NIPI AstanaGenPlan LLP the issues of development of the capital were considered.
    "The city's population is increasing and is 900,000, although we planed to achieve this figure in 2020-2030 . In this regard, development of the city lags behind the dynamic growth of the population and this causes various difficulties. Of course, we are working on the development of all cities in the country, but special attention should be given to the capital. I held a meeting and gave a number of instructions in spring of this year. I became familiar with their implementation. However, we face new challenges that require appropriate decisions," Nazarbayev said.
    The president said that around 188 sites with the area of 7,000 hectares in the city have been returned to state ownership.
    "According to the Prosecutor General's Office, to date, around 11,000 hectares have been neither developed nor returned. About 711 sites have been given for construction, but it is not conducted," the president said.
    According to Nazarbayev, there are several possible causes for this situation. In particular, in 2008 the mayor's office of the city signed contracts with land users who were willing to transfer the land to the state at the initial cost. The lands were purchased at a low price then, and when the time for build-up came, high prices were required for them, thus earning big money on public lands, he said.
    "This outrage must end. This is dishonestly earned money. When the issue is the state needs, the lands should be returned. We have all legislative opportunities," Nazarbayev said.
    The president stressed that this issue also concerns Almaty and ordered to resume this work and to bring it to an end.
    He said that the regions which are located close to the capital lack some order in land issues as a result of which they face with unauthorized capture of territories.
    "The development of lands around Astana happens unsystematically. The population growth exceeds the prognosis for 2015. Today some 156,000 people live there, while around 175,000 people stand in a queue for land sites. Using the fact that around 10 hectares of land are considered for citizens, the people submit applications. But these sites can be allocated only where communication exists. If the lands haven't been prepared, then they should not be made available for use. So I declare a moratorium on the granting of lands in the 30 -kilometer zone around Astana," Nazarbayev said, according to Trend.az.