The installation of power transmission lines near Ridder in the East Kazakhstan Region has dragged on for eight years, reports infohub.kz. Concrete poles and electrical infrastructure leading to nature reserves and holiday camps remain without power.
Meanwhile, residents of the taiga areas have been forced to generate electricity with gasoline generators for 40 years.
According to reports, more than 700 million tenge in budget funds were allocated for the construction of the transmission line back in 2017. Of that, 400 million tenge was spent, but the project was never completed, and the contractor was paid a penalty.
Construction was subsequently frozen due to bureaucratic complications. It turned out that the power lines ran through state forest fund lands, where the installation of electrical grids is prohibited. However, land legislation has now been simplified, and the installation of utility networks has become permissible in certain cases. Therefore, local authorities intend to revive the project.
"Amendments to the legislation have now been introduced again. If in 2017 it was categorically prohibited by law, today infrastructure projects — roads, communications, power transmission lines — can be carried out in coordination with all relevant government agencies," said Kanibek Toleukhan, deputy akim of Ridder.