Police remove İstanbul municipality's banners against canal project

"Either the canal or İstanbul" reads the banner.

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İstanbul Governor's Office has removed the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality's (IMM) banners against the Canal (Kanal) İstanbul, a planned artificial waterway between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

Since early August, the IMM has placed banners that read, "Either the canal or İstanbul" on the city's billboards.

According to the relevant legislation, the banners can only be removed by a court order. However, the Governor's Office ordered the removal without one, the IMM noted.

CLICK - İstanbul Mayor says 'only a handful of people' will benefit from Canal İstanbul project

İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said that the removal of the banners was "unlawful" and that they would continue to inform the people about the canal project. "No one should expect us to stay silent," he said.

"Unfortunately, a handful of people are now doing whatever they want without even a judicial verdict. Unlawfulness has become the country's biggest problem. Of course, law and democracy will win in the end. Those responsible for these applications should not forget this," the mayor remarked.

"Although I told Mr. Governor that the banners will change on Friday, without even waiting for 24 hours, our police, as if they have not anything else to do, were made to remove the banners," he added.

The IMM has been using the billboards for 11 years

The IMM has 4,500 lighted billboards and 100 "mega light" open-air advertising units. According to the current contract dated December 6, 2011, about the advertising units, the IMM can use 20 percent of the billboards for free.

The IMM has also the usage rights of 500 additional billboards. As part of the contract, the IMM can place announcements about "public service" operations.

Canal İstanbul project

PPresident and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement in 2011, when he was still the Prime Minister.

In his speech, he mentioned "a new İstanbul" objective. Presented as a "crazy project", the plan referred to 'Canal İstanbul' for the first time.

What is in the 'crazy project'?

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 Assessment

The 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.

(TP/VK)