Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapayev was unable to answer journalists' questions about what exactly the 382 million tenge was spent on during the development of the new Construction Code.
According to media reports, the minister only responded to the question by stating that comments on the Construction Code had already been provided and that it had been "verified legislatively". The journalists then pointed out that there was nothing new in the code, and that even a schoolchild could have written it.
"I am trying once again to explain why we believe the Code is becoming quite widely discussed. First of all, if you read the document carefully, there is a strengthening of state control, an enhancement of the role of state architectural and construction control bodies, and a fight against those things we all collectively complain about," the minister stated.
Mr Sharlapayev believes that the Code is primarily aimed at protecting the rights of citizens of Kazakhstan.
"When we arrived at the Code, which leads to greater state control over construction, which means that the rights of our citizens who are dissatisfied with poor-quality development are protected – it is designed to protect citizens' rights and somehow control the conditions in which construction companies operate a little more strictly. I understand why there is quite a large number of dissatisfied people," stated the head of the Ministry of Industry and Construction.
However, the journalists were not satisfied with these answers and repeated their question about where the budget money was spent.
"Wait, my task, first and foremost, is to explain. You ask why these questions arise. I am telling you that in reality we are currently going through a situation where we are bringing back state control in the field of construction. And I understand why there are quite a lot of people dissatisfied with the Construction Code. That is all. Thank you," stated Sharlapayev.