Residents of Karasay District Demand Their Village Be Recognized

In the Almaty Region, between the villages of Jambyl and Batan, there is a place that officially does not exist. It doesn’t appear on maps, isn’t registered in GPS systems, and its residents’ homes are absent from official databases.

Taxis, ambulances, and emergency services struggle to locate addresses. On paper, they simply don’t exist, Orda.kz reports, citing Almaty.tv.

Around 300 people live in this nameless residential area without official streets, roads, or public utilities. For the past 15 years, residents have been trying to register their village but have been unsuccessful so far.

We can't register anywhere. We are ‘floating in the air’—officially, we don’t exist in Kazakhstan. We bought our plots legally through advertisements in the Karasay District. We have state-issued property documents, and we pay all our taxes honestly,  says a woman who purchased land here 14 years ago.

Residents have repeatedly appealed to the Karasay District Akimat and the Department of Architecture and Urban Development of Almaty Region, requesting that their settlement be given an official name.

However, officials insist that recognition is only possible once the population reaches 5,000 people.

We don’t need that many people — just give us a name for our streets. There are only 60 houses here, say residents.

The Karasay District Department of Architecture and Urban Development claims that work is underway to incorporate the housing estate into a nearby village.

It has not provided a timeline for the settlement's official status.

Stage-by-stage work is currently underway. First, boundary maps will be prepared, followed by developing a general plan. Then, we submit budget requests to the Almaty Region Department of Architecture, which will announce a tender to select design firms to finalize the plan,  explains department specialist Darmen Japarov.

Residents also face infrastructure issues. 

Their biggest concern is the lack of safe access to the local school. The only way for people to get there is to cross a river using a pipe.

Original Author: Aliya Askarova