‘Government deals with Canal İstanbul, not with public health’

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In a recent statement, Turkey's Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum has indicated that the Canal İstanbul project, which foresees an artificial sea-level waterway between the Black Sea and Marmara Sea, will start and proceed quickly in 2021.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Gürsel Tekin has severely criticized the Minister and the government over these remarks, protesting that "no matter what issues are on Turkey's agenda, the agenda of the government focuses on the Canal İstanbul project."

"The government just cannot back down from Canal İstanbul, which is a project of unearned income and plunder," Tekin has said.

Indicating that "the project is contrary to law in its all aspects," Gürsel Tekin has criticized the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government for "making statements that the project is coming to an end."

CHP's Tekin has also referred to the ongoing judicial process against the project and said, "Such statements in a period when the cases are ongoing is the biggest indication of the fact that the law is no more."

Reiterating that Canal İstanbul is not a project of transportation, but the project of real estate and unearned income, Tekin has briefly added:

"The Canal İstanbul project, which is an urban crime to be committed against İstanbul, people and nature, must be definitely cancelled.

"Country resources must be allocated not to the projects like Canal İstanbul that will bring no benefit to the people of this country, but they must be allocated to ensure that our people lead a healthy and safe life.

"In other words, by creating employment instead of spending 90 million people's money for the Canal İstanbul project, we could have offered a beacon of hope to our young people who cannot look to the future with confidence and to our 10 million unemployed people as well as to our 20 million people who live on poverty and starvation lines.

'Public health is at risk'

"While they have been unable to vaccinate even a single citizen against coronavirus yet and the shops of our millions of shop owners are closed, the funds allocated to these projects put public health at risk.

"While people in all countries of the world have started to be vaccinated against the virus, these measures are not taken for us; but concessions are being made to no more than a handful of building contractors.

"While the measures to be taken against the problems of earthquake, water and transportation should have been discussed in 2021, the Canal İstanbul project is being discussed, which shows that a crime against the entire humanity is being committed here.

"Ao, it means you prefer your expectations for unearned income to the health and needs of the public. Who accepts this project anyway? Which citizen of ours will accept it? None of them will accept it, of course.

"Still dealing with the Canal İstanbul, this government has nothing to do with public health and its problems. It means that the government has been betraying the health of society and public."

Latest developments about Canal İstanbul

Tender won by Rönesans Group

The tender lodged by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Directorate General of Highways for constructing the "Northern Marmara Highway (including 3rd Bosphorus Bridge) Project Nakkaş-Başakşehir (including link roads) section" with build-operate-transfer model is won by Rönesans Group, which also undertook the construction of Presidential Complex in Ankara.

Afterwards, it has been understood that these roads are the roads of "New City" (Yenişehir) which will be constructed as part of Canal İstanbul.

Nadir Ataman, an İstanbul Metropolitan Municipal Council member from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has said, "With the road tender lodged with the model of build-operate-transfer, it is seen that citizens will pay even to see the Canal İstanbul New City."

Drinking water basin zoned for construction

According to the 3rd stage plans of Canal İstanbul project covering 10 villages, Sazlıdere Dam, which partly meets İstanbulites' water needs, will be completely destroyed as it will be a part of the canal.

With these plans, the drinking water basins around the dam will also be zoned for construction. It is understood that when plans were still pending evaluation and objection, annotations were put on the title deeds of citizens.

The plans also foresee the construction of buildings with "a ground floor + 3 floors" around Canal İstanbul.

İt is also seen that no solutions have been developed to save the Şahintepe - Yarımburgaz Cave, where the first settled life started in the region 400 thousand years ago. In the current situation, Yarımburgaz Caves might be destroyed as a result of the project.

The 3rd stage plans of the project cover an area of 5 thousand 893 hectares and 10 villages, namely Çilingir, Dursunköy, Hacımaşlı, Hadımköy, Haraççı, Sazlıbosna, Güvercintepe, Kayabaşı, Şahintepe and Şamlar.

The village settlements it Hacımaşlı, Sazlıbosna and Çilingir and agricultural fields in Dursunköy and Şamlar are also a part of the plan.

An agricultural field of 10 thousand hectares will be lost

With these plans, several agricultural fields, pasturelands and several other sites have been zoned for construction. While a road is to be build on Çilingir Village Cemetery, the villages on the route of Canal İstanbul project have been completely changed with the new plans.

According to the data of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, when the 1 to 100,000 Scale Environmental Plan for İstanbul dated 2009 is examined, it is seen that the total amount of agricultural land was 11 thousand 218 hectares.

However, when the plan change as to Canal İstanbul in 2020 is examined, this figure drops to 733 hectares. In other words, an agricultural field of 10 thousand 485 hectares will be lost as a result of the project.

In the plan dated 2009, the total amount of forestland was indicated as 2 thousand 984 hectares; but, when the plan change dated 2020 is examined, it is seen that this figure also drops to 2 thousand 134 hectares. So, with Canal İstanbul project, a forestland of 850 hectares will be lost.

As for pasturelands, it will drop from its former amount of 497 hectares to zero (0) in 2020. That being the case, the villagers living in the region will no longer have lands to graze their animals when the project is completed.

While the planned land in the project site was 12 thousand 509 hectares, it has increased to 35 thousand 714 hectares after Canal İstanbul project, which will lead to construction in and around the project site.

While an area of 2 thousand 526 hectares is now open to construction in the region, this figure has reached 9 thousand 446 hectares with the project.

It foresees 1.2 million additional population to come to the city.

CLICK - What does draft legislation on Canal İstanbul foresee? What are the latest developments?

(DŞ/SD)

CHP MP GÜRSEL TEKİN