CHP reiterates objections to canal project: ‘We don’t want İstanbul to be plundered’
* Photo: Özge Elif Kızıl - Ankara / AA
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Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu spoke at the Parliamentary group meeting of his party today (November 9).
Addressing President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu called on him to attend a program on pro-government A Haber TV together:
"If you are an economist, then, come along. Let's come on A Haber. Face me. I will only ask about city hospitals. He may perhaps not pluck up the courage. I will give the questions beforehand. You may write the answers on the prompters, if you wish. I will ask for straight answers."
Tender for the Canal İstanbul project
Main opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu also reiterated his objections to the Canal İstanbul, a planned artificial waterway running parallel to the Bosphorus strait to link the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
Referring to the tender to be held for the project, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "I said, 'No one will take the Canal İstanbul project.' If anyone does, they will pay a heavy price. If anyone wins the tender held to betray the country from inside or outside... In a world where the climate crisis is so widely discussed, you will keep on betraying İstanbul; those who bid will pay a heavy price."
He briefly added, "They may come from abroad for the tender. We don't want İstanbul to be plundered. I wrote a letter to ambassadors. I said, 'He will pay a heavy price as well.' Since when is protecting the interests of the country and İstanbul considered a tip-off to the foreigners?"
"No one should be worried; we will not let any betrayal of this country's interests or İstanbul," he underlined: "I am telling everyone again: Whoever bids in the Canal İstanbul tender will pay a heavy price."
Promise of İstanbul Convention
Kılıçdaroğlu also reiterated his promise to sign the İstanbul Convention again. "We are not granting rights to women or anything," he said:
"We will sign the İstanbul Convention within the first week and it will be published in the Official Gazette. Women; this brother of yours will defend your rights to the end. Don't have any worries about this.
"There will not be the slightest reduction in penalties. Special courts will be established about this issue. If there is domestic violence and it is reported to the police station, there will be trained teams.
"We will provide both women and families with social security. Family support insurance has not been implemented since 1971. We will ensure the full social security of both women and children as well as families.
"A divorced woman will not be worried about 'who will look after me' or 'who will give me a job.' We will put the social state into operation. The vaccine preventing uterine cancer will be offered for free."
Canal İstanbulPresident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan mentioned the planned canal for the first time as "my crazy project" in 2011, when he was still the prime minister. The basic information as to the project was shared with the public at a press conference in Haliç Congress Center in 2011. The plan foresaw an artificial sea-level waterway that would connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. The most important aspect of the project was the integration of transportation. The construction of 3rd Bosphorus bridge foreseen by the project has been completed. In May 2016, 32 articles of 20 laws were amended. An additional article added to the Pasture Law has paved the way for the region's zoning for construction. With another amendment introduced to the law, it has been understood that the access roads to the Canal İstanbul will be toll roads. Ahmet Arslan, the then Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications, announced the route of the project in 2018. He said that the canal would form an artificial waterway from the Black Sea to Marmara Sea, covering 45 kilometers from Küçükçekmece Lake through Küçükçekmece-Sazlıdere-Durusu corridor. The process of Environmental Impact AssessmentThe Board of Inspection and Survey of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report of the Canal İstanbul project on December 23, 2019. Accordingly, the report was presented to the public at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and İstanbul Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization for 10 days. The citizens submitted petitions of objection against the project within this period. On January 17, 2020, Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum announced that they approved the EIA report of Canal İstanbul. |
(AS/SD)