Besagash Residents Make Appeal Over Alleged Illegal Construction in Protected Area

Villagers are speaking about a certain “influential owner” who, they say, faces no consequences for violations, Orda.kz reports.

Residents of the village of Besagash have appealed to the president and prime minister over what they describe as illegal construction in the protected zone of the Ile-Alatau Nature Reserve. According to them, the owner has removed the topsoil from around five hectares and is cutting into a mountain in a mudflow-prone area.

The owner holds a private property deed designating the land as “farm pasture,” but residents say no permits have been issued for the ongoing work.

They contacted the contractor, who reportedly could not produce any documentation for the site.

This site is located in a mudflow-prone zone. There was a recent mudflow in the village of Besagash in the Burabay microdistrict. But the contractor is currently cutting down the mountain. We demand a government agency conduct an inspection,
 the villagers stated in a video message.

Despite a meeting and an akimat order to address the violations, work resumed in November on a larger scale. The owner also demolished a meltwater drainage channel that had been built a year earlier using public funds.

Residents say that government agencies and the police are responding poorly to their appeals. The Almaty Region Land Resources Department, they say, issues formal replies citing “repeat violations” and does not record new incidents.

The owner must be a very influential person. How long can we wait? We've written letters and everything. We can't wait for anyone to respond. Respond to our request and demand,
 the Besagash villagers say.

I raised this issue twice with Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov. I think they were supposed to open a criminal case. I could be mistaken about the location. If I am, I'll be there soon,
 wrote Bazarbek.

As a reminder, Bazarbek previously called for an inventory of protected areas in the Almaty region and for clear regulations governing their use.

He had identified several disputed plots, including a 30-hectare area in the Bostandyq district that was illegally transferred to Halyk Bank entities. Although the Akimat's attempt to expropriate the land was ruled unlawful, the plot remained in private ownership.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov