Under the chairmanship of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a videoconference meeting was held on further development of Almaty.
Opening the event, the Head of State noted that the country's successes over 30 years of Independence are closely linked with Almaty.
"Our Independence was declared in Almaty. Therefore, the historical role of this city is exceptional. Now Almaty is the main driving force of our economy. The business sector is also well developed here," the President said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recalled that the main and common task for all is to improve the quality of life of the population; therefore, issues of employment and increasing the income of citizens should be addressed as a priority.
The President said that in accordance with the long-term development strategy, Almaty should become a city where conditions favorable for life and equal opportunities for all are provided. To achieve this goal, the Head of State set a number of tasks.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev identified the development of the economy as the first task.
The President noted the positive dynamics of the socio-economic indicators of Almaty at the end of 2020. At the same time, he believes that the situation is volatile and unstable.
The Head of State announced the need to establish a clear and effective mechanism for "feedback" with business. He cited as an example the constructive work of the Business Council under the akim of the city. At the same time, according to the President, the city needs new niches and points of growth for further development, one of which is the creative economy.
The Head of State instructed the Government to develop a full-fledged and modern legal regulation in this area.
The President considers the protection of business from attempts of illegal interference as another urgent task. It is about the facts of raiding and extortion under the guise of control and supervisory or law enforcement activities. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that, at his instruction, a package of legislative measures was prepared to counter these negative manifestations. The corresponding work will be completed before the end of the current session of the Parliament.
Along with this, the President focused on protection of foreign investments. According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the successful development of the economy and the well-being of citizens depend on how comfortable investors can do business in our country.
The President also pointed to the need to strengthen the position of the city in the innovation sphere. According to the Head of State, Almaty has every reason to be a leader in this industry. This can be facilitated by the potential of the Park of Innovative Technologies, the presence of the country's leading universities and a significant concentration of venture capital.
Tourism is an important area of development of Almaty and its suburbs. According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, over the past 10 years, the number of foreign tourists in Almaty has tripled, in 2019 this figure reached 435 thousand. Domestic tourism is on the rise. The President also noted the presence of Almaty in the Mercer rating, which reflects the cost of living for expatriates in the largest cities of the world.
At the same time, the Head of State pointed out a number of problems, including in the provision of services. He instructed the akimats of Almaty and Almaty region to develop a joint program for development of tourism within the agglomeration.
The President outlined the employment of the population as another priority task, which is especially important in the context of a pandemic.
“In the current difficult period, our main task is to prevent a sharp rise in unemployment, massive job cuts and lower incomes of the population. At the same time, it is very important to stimulate business to maintain business activity," he said.
Much attention was paid to the social sphere. In particular, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the importance of providing support to people with disabilities and creating the most favorable environment for them. The President stressed that this issue is one of the priorities in the social sphere.
The Head of State pointed out the low efficiency of the work of the city authorities and responsible structures in this direction. Akimat was instructed to develop an action plan to provide those in need with rehabilitation equipment, as well as bring social and other places in line with standards.
The President instructed the akimat to develop a plan to gradually reduce the shortage of places in schools and kindergartens, recalling the need to widely use the opportunities of public-private partnerships in implementation of such projects.
"Last year, only two new schools were built. Additional facilities were built next to five schools. The number of places has increased by only 4 thousand. In addition, only 4 kindergartens for 670 children have been opened. This is not enough for a city with two million residents," he said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also talked on the difficult situation in the city's healthcare sector. According to him, against the background of the concentration of efforts on the fight against coronavirus, other problematic issues are out of control.
“We have to admit that citizens are not satisfied with the quality of medical services. The issue of a shortage of medical personnel is also important. The problem has not been solved for years. We saw it most clearly in the state of emergency. The city needs about 300 doctors. This is a lot. What to say about remote areas. The situation is aggravated by the personnel changes in the city health department. There were corruption violations. In any case, there was no stability in the health department. Akimat needs to substantively address these issues," the Head of State said.
In addition, the President talked on the unstable epidemiological situation, noting a significant decrease in the epidemiological alertness of citizens, loss of vigilance on the part of citizens and businesses.
“Once again, I urge fellow citizens not to lose patience, to comply with all sanitary rules, to support mass vaccination against coronavirus. The government and akimats must be ready for mass vaccination. We launched it on February 1. However, at the moment there are a little more than 19 thousand fully vaccinated citizens. According to the plan, we must vaccinate more than 6 million people. If we do not have our own production facilities and vaccine supplies from Russia, we need to enter the market and import the required amount. Without achieving collective immunity, we cannot overcome the disease and restore the economy. I instruct the Government to intensify this work. I will keep this issue under control. Once again I appeal to citizens, we need to have a positive attitude towards vaccination, there is no other way out," the Head of State said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also raised the problems of infrastructure development of the city. In particular, he pointed out the need to renovate old houses, including in Turksib and Zhetysu districts, landscaping, maintain cleanliness in the city, ensure seismological safety during construction, as well as establish strict control over the provision of land plots in mountainous areas.
"It is known that there is a shortage of land in Almaty. However, according to the General Prosecutor's Office, more than 3.7 thousand hectares of land are not used in the city. They must be introduced into a full-fledged economic turnover," the President said.
In addition, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the akimat to develop an interactive urban planning map to ensure maximum transparency in this area. The President also noted the need for public control. According to him, the places, where the consent of the Public Council for construction is required, should be clearly marked on the map.
Along with this, the Head of State spoke about the progress of bringing the radial road to the BAKAD bypass highway.
"It turns out that in 2021, additional funds amounting to about two billion tenge are required. Why is it impossible to clearly plan all expenses at once? Or are there any other reasons?" - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked.
The President criticized the construction of an interchange in the area of the Altyn Orda market.
"This is one of the most pressing issues for residents of suburban settlements. The public has repeatedly told the akim of the city. This part of the Almaty-Bishkek highway should have been completed last year. The necessary funds were allocated in full. But there is no result yet. Askar Uzakbaevich, I instruct, together with the akimats of Almaty and Almaty region, to complete the construction of the Raiymbek - Almaty section by the end of the year,” - said the Head of State.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also talked on environmental issues. In particular, the inadmissibility of the rise in price and delay in the reconstruction of CHP-2, the prospects for modernization of CHP-3, gasification of the private sector, transfer of transport to clean fuels, waste management, improvement and reclamation of the area around the Sairan reservoir.
The current task is the sequential build-up of the "green" zones. In this matter, the President expressed his indignation at the continuing illegal felling of trees and destruction of gardens, including in the historic center of the city.
The President also talked on the need to develop the suburbs and settlements of the Almaty agglomeration. According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Almaty is not only the largest city in Kazakhstan, but also the core of the country's largest agglomeration.
In this context, the Head of State instructed the Government, together with the akimats of Almaty and Almaty region, to develop a transport model of the agglomeration.
"Finally, it is necessary to create a Council for management of the Almaty agglomeration, which should have been formed last year. It should not be an advisory body on duty - it should be given all the necessary powers to resolve general agglomeration issues. To resolve issues at the central level, an appropriate deputy Prime Minister will have to be assigned," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed.
The Head of State also considers it important to ensure security in the city. To do this, it is necessary to resolve issues related to lighting in some areas of the city, using the potential of intelligent video surveillance cameras and their integration with the Operational Control Center.
In the end, the President instructed the akimat of Almaty to carefully implement the tasks, stressing that the timely and high-quality execution of instructions will be under control of the Presidential Administration.
During the event, akim of Almaty Bakytzhan Sagintayev, akim of Almaty region Amandyk Batalov, Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar, Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Magzum Mirzagaliev, Chairman of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan "Atameken" Abylai Myrzakhmetov, as well as Chairman of the Public Council of Almaty Rakhman Alshanov and Chairman of the Almaty Union of Architects Sergey Martemyanov made reports.
