In Kazan, they decided not to build the Tyubetei Tower observation tower, which was suggested by the controversial Permian investor Rashid Gabdullin.
The tower sketch was approved, a feasibility study was prepared, and the investor established a company in Kazan (LLC Tyubetey Tower) for the construction. However, the authorities have repeatedly changed the location of the future facility, and now they have decided to build the Tyubetei Tower three times lower, with another investor and outside of Kazan.
Meanwhile, local authorities will invest 234 million rubles from the budget to prepare the territory under the tower, which covers an area of 17.2 hectares. The Main Investment and Construction Department of Tatarstan has already put out a tender on the public procurement portal, stating that the site must be 100% ready by November 30, 2022. The contractor will be chosen on February 18.
In 2019, the investment council of the republic approved Mr. Gabdullin's plan to construct the Tyubetei Tower observation tower near the Kazan Arena stadium (now Ak Bars Arena), which would have been 93 meters high. At that time, the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov was involved. According to the design, the construction was supposed to feature a platform in the shape of a skullcap, housing a restaurant and souvenir shops. The businessman intended to spend 300-350 million rubles solely on hardware, but it seems the investor was removed from the project.
There are rumors that Rashid Gabdullin, the owner of Gorky Park in Perm, made enemies in Nizhny Novgorod. Along with business partners, he erected a Ferris wheel in the city, which Ivan Savvidi later tried to take over. The wheel was installed in a location planned for a springboard for the local sports school of the Olympic Reserve, leading to backlash from the athletes. They even created a petition against the construction of the facility and allegedly appealed to President Vladimir Putin. The leaders of the SSHOR expressed concern that the occupation of the site jeopardized the construction of a sports facility.
Previously, the Perm businessman faced criticism for the new chair lift at the Gubakha ski center owned by Gabdullin. He had high hopes for the lift, which cost him several tens of millions of rubles. However, the experience at the Gubakha SLC turned out to be a nightmare. Visitors had to endure a massive queue of almost an hour just to use the lift, and the exit from the lift itself was incomplete, leading to multiple accidents. It's said that the Permian actor Anton Bogdanov, who left the place feeling disappointed, also got to experience the downsides of a winter holiday in Gubakha.
