KOSTANAY REGION – A comprehensive plan for the development of Arkalyk City for the period of 2013-2015 was approved at a recent Kostanai oblast maslikhat (local administration) session. Despite the adjustment of the draft plan with national ministries and agencies, the deputies who complained about expensive and troublesome assistance to the most remote single industry town had a lot of questions for municipal authorities.
Active discussions demonstrated that the city had a good chance to break out of its vicious circle. In particular the transit potential of the Arkalyk-Shubarkol railway, which is currently under construction, as well as a pilot plant for the enrichment of rare earth metals and a wind power plant promise great possibilities for the socioeconomic development of the region. These key projects will give a new impetus to small- and medium-sized businesses, which are the main focus of the plan. Over three years, the state will provide targeted transfers to Arkalyk from the national budget amounting to over 1.8 billion tenge, and industrial production in the city is expected to grow by 2.7 billion tenge.
