Report: Pro-government construction company to start new project in natural protected area

Photo: flickr

Click to read the article in Turkish

A company owned by Cengiz Holding, a group with close ties to the government, will start a new project in Bodrum, Muğla, a popular holiday resort in western Turkey, according to a report by daily BirGün.

The Bodrumbir Tourism Inc. company has prepared a project for "beach arrangement, protection structures and fill areas" and applied to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanism for Environment Impact Assessment, said the report.

CLICK - How has Cengiz Holding destroyed forests? 

The company seeks to set up two beaches and four wave breakers in Paradise (Cennet) Bay, which is designated as an area of "cultural heritage," "natural heritage," "third-degree archeological protected area," and "protected are," according to the report.

The investment cost of the project was determined as approximately 40 million lira (~5.4 million USD). It was stated that the project will be made from the company's equity.

Photo: AA

In the vicinity of the project area, there are 71 plant species, 17 endemic reptile species and 82 species belonging to 11 systematic groups, BirGün noted.

This wasn't the first attempt of Cengiz Holding to carry out a project in Paradise Bay as the Council of State previously canceled the privatization of a 700-decare land worth 2.1 billion lira (~280 million USD).

During the Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule, Cengiz Holding undertook many large-scale infrastructure projects, including the İstanbul Airport, the Hasankeyf Dam, the Northern Marmara Highway and the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Port, on its own or in partnership with other companies. (TP/VK)