Residents of the capital's residential complex on Shaimerden Kosshygululy Street have contacted the FBRK editorial office with a complaint about the selective nature of fire safety inspections. One of the four buildings in the complex is inspected annually, while the others escape inspection thanks to a moratorium.
According to representatives of the commonhold association (CHA) "Temir Qazyq 2021", problems began as far back as the construction stage. The developer committed a number of violations, which led the local authorities to place the complex under special supervision, yet some communal issues remain unresolved.
Specifically, the residential complex is under close scrutiny by officers from the district emergency situations department (ESD). Annual inspections to check compliance with fire safety requirements are carried out only in building 19/1.
Following the latest inspection in December 2024, residents of this building were ordered to install an expensive fire protection system. The owners are perplexed as to why such requirements are being imposed only on their building, while neighbouring buildings are not subjected to inspections.
Undoubtedly, compliance with fire safety requirements is an important duty for both owners and government bodies. However, the selective approach to inspections raises questions about the transparency and fairness of the actions of the regulatory authorities.
In order to ascertain the reasons for such close attention to one of the complex's buildings, the FBRK editorial office has sent an official request to the emergency situations department (ESD) of Astana city.
According to the department's response, the building at Shaimerden Kosshygululy Street, 19/1 has been classified as a high-risk category since 2022 due to a number of factors. The main objective criterion is the building's height, exceeding 28 metres. Subjective factors include results of previous inspections, any past incidents, its being in use for over 5 years, and potential violations related to design load.
It is noted that the latest inspection revealed nine violations of fire safety rules, including issues with the fire alarm system. At the same time, neighbouring buildings 19/2, 19/3, and 19/4 were not subjected to inspections thanks to a moratorium on inspections of small and micro-businesses which was in effect from 2020 to 2023. In 2024, these buildings were also not included in the inspection list "due to the introduction of a new regulatory policy".
The situation raises a number of questions for the regulatory authorities. Firstly, it is unclear why the CHA, which is not a business entity, falls under the scope of the moratorium on inspections of small and micro-businesses. Secondly, clarification is required as to why, within a single residential complex, different approaches are applied to different buildings regarding fire safety inspections. This is particularly concerning inspections of residential, not commercial, premises.
To clarify these issues, the FBRK editorial office will send a request to the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the near future, we plan to launch a joint project with the General Prosecutor's Office to explain legal matters to citizens. If you have legal questions, you can send them via our anonymous bot.