Empty dream of building a city

Since 2009, if the initiatives of the leaders of our nation had been applied precisely, Mongolia would have had two eco-historical cities, Maidar and Kharkhorum. Ts.Elbegdorj, the previous president, mentioned “If Kharkhorum develops, Mongolia will develop” a number of occasions. Since he labored as the pinnacle of the federal government in 2004, he talked about the necessity to provoke a undertaking to develop Kharkhorum right into a historic metropolis and vacationer middle and performed analysis and planning, and urged the work to begin at once. Even after he grew to become the president, he gathered researchers and historians for this function and did a variety of paperwork below the identify of analysis and planning. If what he had deliberate was applied, the 800th anniversary of the institution of the capital of Nice Mongolia, Kharkhorum, in 2020, would have laid the foundations of Mongolia’s second metropolis in as we speak’s Kharkhorin soum. Sadly, even as we speak, there may be not a single brick to put the inspiration of a brand new metropolis within the Orkhon Valley. The valley has been reworked into an unplanned, messy, polluted and degraded space below the identify of a significant historic tourism space. 

Former president Kh.Battulga began the undertaking of constructing Maidar eco-city in 2012 since he was the Minister of Development and City Improvement. After turning into the president, he instructed the federal government to advance this work. Subsequently, in 2018, 12,000 hectares of land, greater than 10 km away from Zuunmod soum of the Tuv Province, was acquired for the particular wants of the state. At the moment, there have been problems with eviction, switch of rights and compensation of people that had particular permission to personal and use land there. To not point out, an in depth plan for the development of the town was made in 4 levels. In doing so, it was deliberate to finish the engineering community and infrastructure works by 2030. Within the spring of 2019, the earlier president laid the inspiration stone of the Mongolian Nationwide Movie Trade on the website of the eco-city undertaking. At that second he mentioned, “Within the metropolis of Maidar, which will probably be constructed very quickly, a movie business advanced will probably be constructed with trendy tools and expertise, consisting of 9 studios, manufacturing workshops, open taking pictures areas, warehouses and workplaces, masking an space of fifty hectares. On this metropolis, quite a few issues have been deliberate to draw the eye of international and home vacationers”. Surprisingly sufficient, there may be presently nothing to catch the attention or discover apart from a poorly constructed mud construction within the identify of the Nice Maitreya god. The world taken for particular use is empty. The information of the “Maidar Eco-Metropolis” undertaking has additionally disappeared.

Though the previous president Ts.Elbegdorj talked about growing a metropolis for over 20 years, he wasn’t capable of make it a actuality. The latter president Kh.Battulga additionally talked about constructing an eco-city referred to as Maidar however was additionally unsuccessful in making it a actuality. Whereas their empty goals and unfulfilled guarantees weren’t forgotten, the present president determined to rebuild the traditional capital of Mongolia, Kharkhorum. On the finish of final yr, he handed over the decree issued on this regard to the federal government. President U.Khurelsukh additionally adopted the method as if each president ought to take initiative to develop a metropolis. The presidents of our nation take initiative to construct a brand new metropolis, stepping on the urgent problems with wholesome and protected residing circumstances for residents, decentralizing the capital metropolis, and creating new balanced settlements, as if it’s a pattern.

In reference to the President’s order to determine a brand new metropolis, the Minister of Mongolia and the Chairman of the Authorities D.Amarbayasgalan submitted the draft of the Parliament’s decision on the institution of a metropolis within the Orkhon Valley. Two days later, the draft decision was mentioned on the session of the Parliament. The Ministry of Development and City Improvement and the Ministry of Training and Tradition are answerable for the related analysis and calculations of this undertaking. Principally, it was clearly noticed that the suitable degree of organizations is approaching the work of constructing Kharkhorum metropolis with pace and initiative. Nevertheless, there are nonetheless doubts as as to if this work will proceed at this tempo, whether or not it is going to be efficiently applied or not, and whether or not it is going to be included within the plans of the subsequent authorities. The “Maidar Eco-city” and “4+1” tasks initiated by the current presidents got here out with a variety of sensation similar to that, and left nothing however a reputation. The development of the “New Centennial Metropolis” undertaking, which has reached as we speak by means of the “fingers” of 5 governments, has been delayed for 3 years as a result of land disputes. The plan to develop Baganuur and Nalaikh into secondary cities and decentralize the town of Ulaanbaatar has been talked about by earlier governments and elected politicians from the respective districts. On the finish of all this, the residents stopped believing {that a} new metropolis could be constructed.

Is there actually a have to construct a brand new metropolis in Mongolia? If that’s the case, is it applicable to determine it in Kharkhorin soum? How applicable is it to construct a metropolis on a historic website? Kh.Bulgansaikhan, land administration engineer and architect, answered this query, “It is extremely uncertain whether or not they can construct a brand new metropolis or not. I’m afraid they could destroy the historic and monumental locations. In response to the requirements of the cities of the world, they attempt to protect such locations as a lot as attainable of their previous look and switch them into tourism. I don’t suppose they’d make a metropolis to maneuver their authorities administration and repair establishments. It’s extra applicable to develop the areas comparable to Baganuur, Nalaikh, Bagakhangai, that are near the capital and have developed infrastructure, to the standing of cities. What our authorities wants most is a secure coverage.” Nevertheless, architect N. Bat-Uugan, a member of the “Artistic-100” affiliation, mentioned, “Within the identify of researching, growing an in depth plan and feasibility examine for the brand new metropolis, I anticipate that many individuals will probably be unnecessarily paid for one more 30 years and public cash will probably be wasted. In response to the “Imaginative and prescient-2050” work will probably be achieved in levels, which implies it should proceed till then. It’s a nation with a authorities that budgets two billion MNT to research the causes of visitors jams. What number of billions of MNT will probably be spent below the pretext of constructing a metropolis? Khushigt Valley is essentially the most helpful location for Ulaanbaatar’s decentralization. It’s simpler to concentrate to the progress of the work that has been achieved there.”

As N.Bat-Uugan mentioned, it’s undoubtable that an enormous sum of money will come out of the state finances in coming years, within the identify of researching and calculating to re-develop the Kharkhorum metropolis. It’s mentioned that final yr, the Ministry of Development and City Improvement began a undertaking to find out a brand new location for a metropolis costing 400 million MNT. After figuring out the placement, the mentioned space ought to be taken and launched for particular wants of the state. It’s unforeseeable when the work would end, or if it ever will. Even when it’s completed, the subsequent authorities may disapprove of it.

It’s merely just like the empty dream and plan that was developed and authorized by many billions of MNT throughout the framework of Maidar eco-city, 4+1, New Centennial Metropolis tasks. The tasks initiated by the Head of State of our nation and brought over by the Authorities set a precedent that continues alongside this path. How far will president U.Khurelsukh’s dream go? For these of us who can not resolve the issues of the polluted and demanding capital of Ulaanbaatar, and to the people who find themselves struggling, it looks as if a distant dream to construct a brand new residential space.