Kazakhstan has launched 33 pre-trial investigations in its road sector, with preliminary damage estimated at more than 8 billion tenge. First Deputy Prosecutor General Zhandos Umiraliyev announced the figures at a government meeting, infohub.kz reports.
According to Umiraliyev, systemic violations were found at various stages — from planning and construction to road operation. The investigations are ongoing.
In addition, the cancellation of unjustified contracts and public procurement plans prevented expenditures totaling 36 billion tenge. In particular, officials identified cases where new tenders were announced for repairing roads that had already been repaired, including facilities still under contractors' warranty obligations.
At the meeting, Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev reported on the results of an inventory of the bitumen transportation and storage system. According to him, approaches have been developed to improve product quality, ensure even loading of plants and shift to producing polymer-modified bitumen with improved characteristics. The Caspian Bitumen Plant and the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant are ready to produce 50/70 and 70/100 grades, as well as polymer-modified compounds, provided there are relevant orders.
To protect road surfaces, weight and dimension control is set to be strengthened. Proposals were considered on legislating automatic recording of weight and dimension violations, including bypassing automated measurement stations, and on tightening liability for overloading. Integration of digital monitoring tools into the unified E-Kolik system continues.
Following the meeting, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov instructed the working group on reforming the road sector to complete discussions and prepare a comprehensive package of proposals by the end of November. According to the prime minister, the proposed measures must be assessed comprehensively, including revising standards, improving the quality of construction materials and introducing new technologies.
Earlier, President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev called the situation in the transport sector absurd, saying huge revenues were slipping past. He described the current situation as "a road to nowhere." Qasym-Jomart Toqaev also commented on the state of the country's transport sector while delivering his annual address to the people of Kazakhstan. After the head of state's criticism, the Ministry of Transport said control over freight transport had been strengthened on key transport routes in Kazakhstan.