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As part of a debt relief plan, the Siirt Municipality erased 90 percent of the water debt interest of 2,413 users between January 6 and July 6, 2020. A total of 761,908 lira of debt was erased.
Aiming to accelerate the collection of unpaid bills, the plan was approved jointly by the parties in the municipal council. At the time, the municipality was co-led by Berivan Helen Işık and Peyman Dara Turhan of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
On May 15, 2020, the Ministry of Interior dismissed the co-mayors because of a "terrorism-related" investigation against them and appointed Siirt Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu as the acting mayor.
The HDP won 65 city, district and town municipalities in the 2019 local elections but the government has taken over all but a handful of them for the same reason.
About two months ago, an investigation was opened against the former co-mayors and 23 municipal council members of Siirt over the debt relief plan.
Nevertheless, the trustee-led municipality has started a similar campaign. It covers debt interests of not only water bills but also real estate, environment and cleaning, and advertising taxes.
The municipality also placed announcements about the campaign on advertising signs. The offer is valid until August 31, it announced.
"Beyond tragicomic"
Dismissed co-mayor Turhan told bianet that it was "very pleasing" to see these announcements on billboards. "The trustee complying with the municipal council decision that we took considering the benefit of the people of Siirt is sad for them but enjoyable for us as it proves our rightness," he said.
The trustee administration requesting inspectors to investigate HDP's campaign while carrying out a similar one reflected a mood that is "beyond tragicomic," said Turhan.
After the Ministry of Interior permitted the Civil Inspection Board to conduct an investigation regarding the campaign, Turhan filed an objection with the Council of State.
Against the allegation that the campaign caused the municipality's revenues to decrease, Turhan stated that the decision taken by the municipal council was legal.
"There was no reduction in the principal, and the entire late fees were not written off. There was a 90 percent discount. Erasing the entire late fees is in accordance with the municipal legislation," he said.
Turhan said the decision did not cause public loss but was for the public benefit. (HA/VK)
