Residents of the village of Enbekshi in the Karasai district of the Almaty region are complaining about a number of unresolved problems — from utility conditions to social infrastructure.
According to ORDA, the village is located approximately 30 kilometres from Almaty. In Soviet times, a branch of the Almaty biological plant operated here, producing vaccines and serums for the protection of animals and people. However, in the 1990s, the enterprise fell into decline, and with it, life in the settlement.
"Previously, the biological plant's land fund comprised 2,360 hectares. As a local native, I hoped to receive a plot from this fund for individual housing construction, but it turned out that all the land in the fund had long since been sold off by someone without any discussion with local residents," said local resident Arystan Baizhumanov.
Among the main complaints are broken roads, power outages, poor street lighting, and bad water quality.
Residents claim that drinking water has to be bought in shops. The authorities proposed supplying water from Kaskelen, but the villagers insist on restoring the local artesian well.
A separate issue is medical care. Since 1964, the village's feldsher-midwife station has been located on the second floor of a residential building. According to residents, the premises have long been inadequate for their needs, and the plot allocated several years ago for the construction of an outpatient clinic remains empty due to a lack of funding.
The villagers are also dissatisfied with the public amenities. Locals complain that children's playgrounds are being installed right next to roads without fencing, and new sports facilities quickly fall into disrepair.
According to a village activist and a representative of the Council of Elders of Enbekshi, Akzholtai Joldospayeva, instead of building an alley with green plantings, workers cut down old pine and elm trees, covered the area with asphalt, and installed a cheap surface which fell apart within six months.
According to the villagers, appeals to the district and regional akimats yield no results — they are either forwarded to the village administration or end up with formal, dismissive replies.