Activists in the Altai district of the East Kazakhstan region are demanding an audit of the local administration for alleged budget embezzlement. According to them, local authorities are using second-hand materials when repairing culverts - tubbing.
According to Ratel.kz, public activists have published photographs showing repair work on the tubbing. At the same time, they posted an order for procurement from a single source.
"We have serious suspicions that the district administration and housing and communal services are embezzling budget funds. Concluding contracts without a tender is not just a violation of the law, but an abuse of official power, which could become the basis for a criminal case. Officials have forgotten that the budget is our taxes, public money, not their own personal funds. Procurement should take place in a competitive environment, at least through a request for price quotations. Even if an inspection does take place, the prosecutor's office may only impose a fine of 143 thousand tenge. However, from the 59 million tenge, contractors can return 10–30% in kickbacks to our officials. It's quite convenient to profit from the contractor and pay a paltry fine, pocketing public money," the public representatives complained.
The activists reported that the district administration entered into a contract with Shygys Zhol LLP without a tender, and the contractors are using second-hand tubbing for construction.
"If the structure collapses tomorrow, who will be held responsible? Second-hand materials are prohibited. Tubbing must be installed on a monolithic slab and reinforced. The use of substandard materials is a direct threat to our safety. Let us work together to demand transparency and accountability from our officials. We cannot allow negligence and an irresponsible approach to our budget," the statement said.
For their part, the Housing and Communal Services, Passenger Transport, Highways and Housing Inspection department of the Altai district commented on the activists' statement. They stated that the construction work is under control.
"In the spring, during floods near the village of Zubovsk, a culvert was washed out on the section of the district road 'Altai–Zubovsk–Parygino'. The department developed cost estimates for restoring the tubbing, with a preliminary cost of 189 million tenge," commented the head of the Housing and Communal Services department, Kuat Zhuanganov.
According to him, the price of one tubbing pipe varies from 900 thousand tenge to 1.5 million tenge.
"Due to the lack of confirmed budget funding because of the high cost, the cost estimates were optimised in consultation with road sector specialists, and work was carried out on the current repair of reinforced concrete pipes (tubbing). To ensure traffic on the district road for all types of vehicles, including for autumn field work, a contract was signed for the current repair of reinforced concrete pipes (tubbing) in the amount of 59 million tenge. The work was completed in full accordance with the cost estimates, and traffic is currently ensured," stated Zhuanganov.
For context, in the Karasu district of the Kostanay region, where the state of emergency has still not been lifted, they are continuing to address the aftermath of the flood. Water from several lakes flooded the district's road infrastructure, and power lines were also submerged.
Meanwhile, the Financial Monitoring Agency has completed its investigation into the criminal case against the head of the Department of Natural Resources of the Ulytau region and individuals who carried out work improperly under the "Zhezdy River Sanitation Project".
The accused violated construction standards and deviated from the project documentation, which reduced the water flow capacity claimed by the designer. The officials' actions led to the flooding of 10 private houses during the extreme flood situation this spring.