In the town of Shchuchinsk, Akmola Region, construction of a multifunctional Sports Palace has been unable to be completed for the fourth year. The regional-level facility, whose cost has risen from 2.7 to 3.5 billion tenge during construction, has not yet been put into operation. Construction is currently continuing at a slow pace, and the situation has drawn the attention of the Anti-Corruption Service.
According to the Telegram channel «HALYQSTAN», the Sports Palace project was presented in 2021. According to the plan, the complex was to include an indoor arena, a swimming pool, courts for team sports, gyms, and infrastructure for holding regional-level competitions.
It has become known that the completion deadlines were postponed twice, and later the completion date on the information board was simply painted over with a marker.
According to the contractor - AutoRemStroy LTD LLP from the Turkestan Region - the reasons for missing the deadlines were a sharp rise in the price of building materials and technical difficulties. As a result, changes were made to the project documentation, and the cost estimate increased from 2.7 to 3.5 billion tenge.
Incidentally, journalists link the resignation of the former head of the construction department of the Akmola Region, Marat Aubakirov, with the situation surrounding the long-term construction project. According to them, in response to the authorities' inaction, a group of activists placed a banner with a picture of Aubakirov on the roof of the unfinished facility, along with the construction start and end dates displayed as the infinity symbol – «∞».
At the same time, it is reported that employees of the Anti-Corruption Service visited the construction site. Following the inspection, they gave recommendations to carry out construction work strictly according to the project, strengthen control by technical supervision and author supervision, increase the number of workers on the site, and ensure timely deliveries of building materials and equipment.