The Akimat of Almaty will pay 18.6 billion tenge in compensation for a land plot in the Medeu district, linked to the Eden Resort project of Rams Qazaqstan.
According to Bes.media, the plot of land, covering 57.9 hectares and located at Khan Kerey and Zhanibek Street, previously belonged to DKS Development LLP. In April, the former Akim of Almaty, Erbolat Dossaev, signed a decree on the compulsory acquisition of the land for the construction of a park.
The owner was sent a notification on 11 April. According to an assessment by Baga Consulting LLP, the value of the plot was 18.6 billion tenge. On 23 April, the Akimat sent a draft purchase agreement, however on 2 May, DKS Development LLP stated its disagreement with the proposed sum.
Following this, the Akimat filed a court claim for the acquisition of the plot and payment of compensation based on the assessed value. A representative of DKS Development LLP fully admitted the claim.
Ultimately, the court upheld the Akimat's demands: it ordered the compulsory seizure of the plot for state needs, payment of compensation in the amount of 18,653,533,467 tenge, termination of ownership rights, and clearance of the area. The owner of the plot is now listed as the office of the Akim of Almaty.
For context, in August, residents of Almaty opposed the construction of the RAMS Beyond Almaty residential complex and sent a collective appeal to the city Akimat. In a petition, citizens demanded the cancellation of the project and that the plot be turned into a park zone.
The authors of the initiative claimed that the construction of a 40-storey building and five 10-storey blocks would overload the transport and social infrastructure of the district, which already suffers from a lack of parking spaces and green areas.
Later, Majilis deputy Bakytzhan Bazarbek reported that the company RAMS had resumed construction of the complex, despite a previously issued order to suspend work.
On 17 November, Rams decided to withdraw from being a participant in the implementation of the Beyond Almaty project as a general contractor.