METU road construction continues despite protests from students

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The controversial Bilkent-İncek road project, which commenced in 2017 during the rule of Mayor Melih Gökçek of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), continues under current Mayor Mansur Yavaş, a member of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

On July 26, 2022, heavy equipment belonging to the municipality resumed work in the METU's forests, after it was temporarily halted by platforms such as Rant Yoluna Hayır Platformu (No To The Road of Rent-Seeking Platform).

"In case this place is torn apart, Ankara will not have any forests or an ecological area in the city," Barış Aslan, a student at METU and member of the platform, told bianet. He emphasized that the road will cut METU's forest in two.

The road project not only incorporates METU's lands but will also pass through the Gölbaşı Environmental Protection Area. The development plan encompasses 11 kilometers of roads, with 4.8 kilometers passing through METU's lands. The remaining six kilometers will pass through the İncek Neighborhood and connect the road with the Niğde highway.

"Work continued in the İncek Neighborhood. Because it is not METU land, we did not have a chance to keep guard and prevent the work there. Now, it is ready for asphalt casting," Aslan noted.

Greenwashing

Last week, the METU Environmental Society criticized the mayor's support for a "Climate Emergency Declare" campaign while not filing a lawsuit against the controversial road. It accused him of greenwashing.

"We, as the METU Environmental Society, are tired of these greenwashing moves. The fact that such signatures are made by people who destroy forests and ecosystems in their city is nothing but manipulation!"

The roadworks had started with the approval of the Ankara Governor's Office and Verşan Kök, the rector of METU, who was appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2016.

There were hopes that the construction would stop under Yavaş. Nevertheless, the tender was reopened under the current mayor, despite various groups, such as the Ankara Chamber of Architects, demanding immediate cancellation.

Yavaş did write to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change insisting on the cancellation of the "tunnel road" plan, a different project that runs through the middle of METU. But he did not file a lawsuit while he had the legal right.

Residences built by Gökçek's son

In addition to the ecological danger of the road project, many other construction projects started around the anticipated road in question. For example, the Park Joven residences were built by the son of Gökçek.

Although Yavaş announced that these constructions next to the forest had been closed for a year, the construction continues, according to Aslan.

"We have been documenting these works continuously for a year. In those buildings, construction continues. There is constant work, and the buildings are largely finished," he said.

Noting that the approximately 480 flats are going over the counter for 10 million Turkish lira (0.5 million euro) per piece and are advertised with slogans such as "METU awaits a new road with forest view."

"We want this road to be officially and definitively canceled."
Many students have enough of the continuation of work, while official sources say that construction is stopped. Additionally, police and security guards have interfered in previous actions by the 'No To The Rent Road Platform.' Authorities detained six students detained when the platform wanted to make a press statement in November.

"We want this road to be officially and definitively canceled. In other words, we think that it should be canceled for ecological and political reasons, without becoming a tool for political games such as elections." METU student notes Ilgaz Kekeç, after speaking with Yavaş at a meeting for METU graduates.

Dilara Ercanlı from the platform emphasizes that the municipality does not always take a clear stand with evasive answers. "They never gave us a satisfactory answer or action, with unrelated, inconsistent answers. Therefore, it seems unlikely that answers will be satisfactory for us or that there is any hope for the project's cancellation."

(Cİ/WM/VK)