The future of Ekibastuz: Abylkair Skakov presented the city development plan to the President of Kazakhstan
Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev made a working trip to Pavlodar region. In Ekibastuz, the Head of State held a meeting on the development of single-industry towns, met with representatives of the presidential youth personnel reserve and visited the enterprises of the railway cluster.
Speaking about the topical problems of the development of single-industry towns, the President pointed out the need for an urgent revision of the state policy in relation to these settlements. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that some monotowns in Kazakhstan have managed to adapt to the market and diversified their economies. Among them is Ekibastuz.
“In general, the imbalances in the development of single-industry towns are obvious,” the Head of State said during the meeting. - I think it is correct to divide single-industry towns into three groups based on their potential. In this matter, one should be extremely pragmatic. We have no right to engage in self-deception and mislead residents. The tools for supporting a particular city will also depend on the correct analysis.
Akim of Pavlodar region Abylkair Skakov reported to the President on how Ekibastuz will develop in the coming years. He noted that almost half of the working townspeople work in the fuel and energy complex, which occupies 65% of the industry of Ekibastuz. For 9 months, the volume of industrial production of the city amounted to 672 billion tenge, or almost 35% of the regional indicator. However, this dependence on the economy of Ekibastuz may pose risks against the background of the situation in the global coal market. That is why at the beginning of the year Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed to develop a medium-term development strategy for Ekibastuz. As the head of the region reported to him, the prospects for the development of the city were divided into four main blocks.
- The first is the real sector of the economy, the task is to diversify the economy of Ekibastuz through the growth of the manufacturing industry, - said the akim of Pavlodar region. - Today, the "processing" of the city is mainly represented by mechanical engineering, the share of which at the end of 2020 amounted to almost 87%. Ekibastuz machine building is primarily a railway cluster consisting of five enterprises. Today 73% of the nationwide railway engineering is produced in Ekibastuz. And further growth of the city's economy is inextricably linked with the development of this cluster.
The future of the Ekibastuz economy is also associated with the organization of the production of highly processed coal products. To this end, the city will open a Coal Chemistry Research Center. In cooperation with universities, it is planned to train specialists for new professions. By 2025 inclusive, 16.5 thousand jobs are expected to be created, including 14 thousand permanent ones.
- This is already the second block of the city's development plans - providing employment for the population, - continued Abylkair Skakov. - Annually, at least 400-500 people will undergo professional retraining and training in the basics of business. One of the priorities is the development of mass entrepreneurship. Through measures of state support in 2025, it is planned to increase the number of SMEs to 10 thousand, the output of which, according to forecasts, will grow 1.4 times. To train high-quality personnel, we propose to consider the possibility of using an interregional training center, which can seriously strengthen the personnel potential of Ekibastuz that has been accumulated for decades.
The third block, which will be accentuated in the further development of the city, is the maintenance of its social and engineering infrastructure. Today the wear of engineering networks in Ekibastuz reaches 80%. In the private sector, where tens of thousands of townspeople live, there are few paved roads. More than 5 thousand representatives of socially vulnerable groups are waiting for their turn for housing. Therefore, the authorities of the region intend to implement 11 projects on heat and water supply, to reconstruct and repair more than 160 kilometers of roads, to introduce electronic ticketing in public transport, to build 8 new houses, to modernize 20 high-rise residential buildings and to provide land plots for the construction of low-rise housing for almost 500 apartments.
- We pay special attention to healthcare, education, culture and sports, - added the akim of Pavlodar region. - Two packages of comprehensive measures in the field of health care are aimed at equipping medical institutions and attracting about 200 qualified specialists. In the education system, 20 schools will be modernized and a children's creativity center with 700 places will be built. It is planned to build an ice rink and 30 sports grounds, reconstruct the Shakhtar park and other projects for the development of mass sports. Our goal is to provide at least 40% of the city's population with physical education and sports through the implementation of the per capita financing program.
To create a comfortable urban environment in Ekibastuz, a number of environmental problems have to be solved. To reduce the volume of industrial emissions, a set of measures will be taken, including the annual repair of filters at power plants, planting at least 4 thousand trees and shrubs per year, as well as the creation of a green belt in Ekibastuz.
During a working trip to the region, the Head of State met with representatives of the Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve.
“For the development of the state, specialists like you are needed,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the reservists. - Today we openly discussed the problematic issues of the region and the country. We look forward to your participation in solving them. I wish you success in all your endeavors.
The President also visited the enterprises of the railway cluster. On the basis of Prommashkomlekt LLP, he was presented with the production of wheels for railway transport. In addition, he launched the production of elastic terminals and screws at Ferrotranstrade LLP.
“The enterprise will produce components that meet international quality standards,” the Head of State emphasized. - New production after reaching full design capacity will exclude imports when purchasing terminals and screws by the national company "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy". I am confident that the enterprise will become a leading manufacturer of components and increase the competitiveness of the domestic machine building industry.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also visited the exhibition of the company's products and met with the staff of the plant, which employs 160 people.
Press service of akim of Pavlodar region according to information www.akorda.kz
Photo: www.akorda.kz