İstanbul mayor says government trying to 'bankrupt' city's public transport company

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İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has criticized the government for blocking price increases in public transport and municipal water.

Two days ago, the opposition-led Metropolitan Municipality proposed a 50 percent increase in public transport fares, but the Transportation Coordination Directorate (UKOME), where the government representatives have the majority, rejected the proposal.

"I'm sorry that people so reckless to bankrupt institutions are doing politics," he said today (March 25) during a groundbreaking ceremony of the municipality's housing agency in the Beylikdüzü district.

Pointing out the nearly 120 percent increase in fuel prices over the past few months, the mayor said, "We are talking about subsidies exceeding 10.5 billion lira [~707 million USD] ... Price hikes don't stop. Maybe fuel prices will increase again tomorrow."

"They are not hiking water prices as well. The electricity prices have increased by nearly 300 percent in this country. Water prices are the same since the 2019 election. We sent water to people's homes by electricity," he remarked.

"They want to bankrupt both the İETT [Istanbul Electricity, Tramway and Tunnel] and the İSKİ [İstanbul Water and Sewerage Administration]," he added.

Assassination claims

Osman Yıldırım, who carried out the 2006 armed attack at the Council of State, killing one judge and wounding four others, has claimed that there is an assassination plot targeting İmamoğlu.

Yıldırım wrote a petition to the prison directorate about the alleged plot, journalist Barış Terkoğlu revealed on Wednesday (March 23).

İmamoğlu said he had read the news. "My expectation is that the authorized and relevant institutions make ... the necessary statements and cooperate ... These things happen and will happen." (HA/VK)