ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree on Jan. 9 to turn the village of Jetigen in the Ili district of the Almaty Region into a town of regional significance and rename it Alatau, reported the Akorda press service.
Photo credit: gov.kz.
With a total area of 88,000 hectares, Alatau is located 47 kilometers north of Almaty’s center. Historically known as Nikolayevka, the village underwent a name change towards the end of the twentieth century and has evolved into a modern settlement, now housing over 25,000 residents.
The territory of the Jetigen rural district includes four settlements: the villages of Jetigen, Zhana-arna, Kuigan and Yenbek. They all were united into one big town, with a population exceeding 50,000 people.
Significant social facilities include a small train station, kindergartens, schools, a rural hospital, a church, a mosque, and even an airfield.
The town has a developing landscape for small and medium-sized businesses. The population is mainly engaged in cultivating fruits and vegetables, crop production, animal husbandry, and dairy product sales. The total area of agricultural land in the district is 91,597 hectares. However, there is not much work for young people.
The new status of the town will allow the modernization of road networks, engineering and social infrastructure, create new jobs, attract investment and technology, facilitate additional financial flows, boost entrepreneurial activity, and increase tax revenues, which, in turn, will help enhance the region’s investment appeal and economic stability.
The government has also approved the expansion of the special economic zone (SEZ) territory from 30,000 to 96,500 hectares, renaming the G4 City SEZ to the Alatau SEZ. This extension covers the entire Alatau town territory and a section of Konayev town.
The SEZ is earmarked for over 170 projects across 17 economic activity categories, with a total value of 12.5 trillion tenge ($27.4 billion), creating an estimated 110,000 new jobs.
According to forecast data, once the SEZ facilities reach full capacity, their total contribution is expected to reach 47.3 trillion tenge ($104 billion), including a multiplier effect of 17 trillion tenge ($37.3 billion).
