NUR-SULTAN – Smart bus stops, an open-air movie theatre and glass police booths will be installed in Turkestan by 2020-2021, Akim (Mayor) Rashid Ayupov told tengrinews.kz Sept. 23. The new flower-shaped singing fountain, Arbat Street (walking alley) and Nazarbayev Street construction projects were completed this summer.
Smart bus stop installation. Photo credit: otyrar.kz.
“At each (smart bus) stop, WI-FI will be connected; the structure itself will be made of anti-vandal material. Inside, there will be CCTV cameras and public washrooms. It is very hot in Turkestan in the summer and sometimes it is difficult for people to wait for transport. By the way, funds for this project come from investors,” he said.
To date, 35 bus stops are planned for installation, with the majority to be situated in the city centre.
“These are all investors, not a penny from the state budget. We plan to install more than 30 stops and for this, all conditions have been created,” he added.
Ayupov also shared the city’s plans for using a large LED screen in the open-air movie theatre.
“On the future square of Turkestan, we will install a large LED screen where you can watch movies in the open air. We hope it will create favourable conditions for tourists and residents of our city,” he said.
The clear glass booths symbolise the transparency of police work, a priority for the Turkestan akimat (local administration). Construction will hopefully be completed by 2020, with a late deadline in 2021.
“We have already begun to introduce them, similar to Georgia. We are putting in glass police stations so that everyone can see what is happening inside the station. I really hope that we will be able to complete all the work before the end of 2020,” said Ayupov.
The Turkestan akimat is also organising a major national food festival hosting Kazakh as well as international chefs.
