Giant dinosaurs and abandoned robot models amid decrepit attractions create a dystopian atmosphere at a defunct amusement park in the Turkish capital – which the opposition party mayor now highlights as proof of the past government’s lack of control over spending.
Three years ago, the president of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan opened the huge theme park with great fanfare before the local elections, but his party lost control of Ankara municipality in the next election.
This month, after a two-year legal battle, a court decided to transfer control of the “Ankapark” to the new city council after the loss-making project fell out of favor.
Current mayor Mansur Yavas took the opportunity to criticize the use of public funds on a project that he said cost $801 million – money he thought could have been used for more socially beneficial projects.
“Fifteen thousand social housing units or 300 student dormitories could have been built to meet the needs of the people of Ankara,” Yavas said after taking control of the development last week.
The dinosaur models for which the park was famous are now falling apart and littering the abandoned, weedy area. The park is about 120 football fields in size.
Ankapark took six years to build and was the brainchild of Melih Gokcek, the longtime mayor of Ankara. At the opening ceremony, President Erdogan said it would bring the municipality about $10 million a year.
However, the operator closed eight months later in November 2019 due to the losses it was suffering.
There has been little comment from officials on the wasteful accusations, but the opposing political party is accusing the current mayor of sabotaging the project.
“Mansur Yavas has not provided any service to Ankara,” Yilmazer said on Twitter. “He made Ankapark bankrupt and then left it to rot.”
Yavas said the municipality will decide in consultation with city residents what to do with the park and is seeking development proposals through a website.
Source: CNN Brasil
