Kazakhstan, Astana, April 22 / Trend D. Mukhtarov /
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev instructed his Administration and the authorized agencies to check groundless growth in house prices in Astana.
"The price of new housing in Astana has already reached $4-5 thousand for a square meter. Presidential Administration are instructed to check this mess and, together with akimats, to restore order in parceling out lands for construction and to learn the reason of the price increase," Nursultan Nazarbayev said at the meeting on the further development of Astana on Monday.
For comparison, the president made an example of the housing prices in European countries. According to him, today in Berlin, the average housing price for a square meter is $ 5000, in Prague - $2.5 thousand, and in Astana - $5 thousand.
"In 2008, when all the constructors went bankrupt, you all was coming to me and building for $1200 in Almaty and $1000 in Astana. What happened now? Inflated prices are caused by a lack of competition, as well as the sale of land to a limited number of companies. Take measures to prevent unreasonable growth! What happened? You increased the price from $1 thousand to 5 thousand. Because there are buyers but there is no competition. The same persons build,"-the President said