The Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development on Thursday said over 50 administrative and 1,300 business facilities in Kazakhstan were severely damaged during the recent public unrest.
The ministry added that authorities were continuing to evaluate, repair and reconstruction costs.
“The unrest in the regions of Kazakhstan inflicted significant damage to administrative buildings and commercial real estate.
“According to the recent data from akimats, 53 government facilities were damaged in eight regions, including 21 facilities in the city of Almaty, six in Shymkent, two in the East Kazakhstan Region, six in Almaty Region, seven in Zhambyl Region, nine in Kyzylorda Region, one in Atyrau Region and one in Aktobe Region, requiring repair and restoration work.
“According to preliminary reports of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken, over 1,300 premises of small and medium-sized enterprises were damaged across the country,” it said in a statement.
The ministry specified that “at present, all regions have created commissions for examination and assessment of the damage.
“Preliminary inspection found that 221 commercial facilities have suffered significant damage and require repair and reconstruction: 215 objects in the city of Almaty, six in the East Kazakhstan Region.’’
According to the ministry, all damaged facilities are being inspected with the repair costs estimated.
The ministry said that the akimats would provide reimbursement for the damage. However, it noted that access to certain sites for inspection has been limited due to the ongoing investigation.
The public unrest in Kazakhstan erupted in the early January, with residents of western cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau protesting against a twofold increase in liquefied gas prices.
Also read;Kazakhstan says 164 people killed in week of unrest
The protests spilled over to other cities, and turned into violent unrest with looting, attacks on state facilities and clashes with the police.
On Jan. 5, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the government and called for the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) assistance “in overcoming the terrorist threat.”
The CSTO sent collective peacekeeping forces to stabilise the situation and curb the violence in Kazakhstan.
On Wednesday, Tokayev announced the beginning of an organised withdrawal of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent, with the National Security Committee repealing the “red level” of the terrorist threat in all 14 regions.
