"There are no specifics, but everything is ahead": Astrakhan City Hall heard residents' demands to preserve a unique amusement park
Astrakhan's unique children's park, "Planeta," has been a target for local residents since the summer of 2021. It was created by an entrepreneur. Oleg SarychevAs he himself explained, in 1993 the municipality leased him a "vacant lot overgrown with reeds" "as a social burden."
An amusement park appeared on this site: with rides, animal enclosures, cafes, and a restaurant serving vegetables and fish grown right there in the park.
Three years ago, the mayor's office announced that Sarychev had seized the land illegally. Residents rose to the defense of their beloved recreation area and even managed to save it—the park was still open last summer.
And in August 2023, in the park's swimming pool perished a 4-year-old boy left without adult supervision.
Sarychev was accused of providing services that did not meet safety requirements. The park's director, responsible for its maintenance, was only a witness in the case. In late April, Sarychev was sentenced to 1,5 years in prison (the ruling has not yet entered into legal force and is currently pending appeal).
Now the park is closed, overgrown with weeds, and the animals they feed volunteers.
The mayor's office secured a court order to demolish the amusement park rides, sparking a new wave of public outrage. Even before the drowning tragedy, Sarychev had proposed that the mayor's office establish a public-private partnership and had gathered all the necessary documents.
Following the park owner's imprisonment, his initiative was supported by the Union of Associations and Partners of the Entertainment Industry (SAPIR), which developed a plan to save the recreational facility, including resolving legal issues. On Friday, SAPIR representatives met with city officials.
«It's too early to talk about results; the first meeting and exchange of opinions took place yesterday. There are no specifics yet, but I hope there's more to come."," the executive director of SAPIR commented to NeMoskva Armen Tamrazov.
According to the Union's representative, the mayor's office has heard the city's demands and is willing to give Planeta a chance to exist—this is evidenced, at least, by their agreement to negotiate.
