A court in Kostanay has ordered the construction department of the local akimat to pay the owner of a Chevrolet 290,000 tenge in compensation after the car struck an open manhole, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to the regional court's press service, the incident occurred in October 2025 in the Bereke microdistrict. The open manhole was located directly on the roadway, and the car sustained mechanical damage after hitting it.
The defendant had previously been held liable for violating the rules on maintaining manholes, which led to a traffic accident and damage to the vehicle.
During the proceedings, a representative of the construction department objected to the claim. He argued that construction work at the site had not yet been completed, meaning the contractor should have been responsible for safety.
Nevertheless, the court found that the manhole was under the maintenance responsibility of the construction department. No evidence was presented to refute the agency's liability.
As a result, the claim was upheld: the defendant was ordered to pay 205,400 tenge in material damages, as well as 85,000 tenge for the cost of assessing the damage.
Earlier, "Kursiv Auto" reported on how drivers in Kazakhstan can recover damages if their car is damaged by a pothole.