Mustafa Sarıgül asked, Mehmet Şimşek passed the buck to the Palace

The question of why the CL-215 type "Firebirds" firefighting aircraft belonging to the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) are being kept in the hangar has remained unanswered. CHP Erzincan Deputy Mustafa Sarıgül brought to the agenda why the Canadian-made "Firebirds" in THK's possession are not being used and why maintenance and repair work is not being carried out. Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek responded by saying, "The authority on this matter lies with the Presidency and the Ministry of Interior."

According to Sözcü's report, Sarıgül reacted by saying, "There have been over 4 thousand forest fires this year. Helicopter and aircraft support in responding to the fires remained insufficient. If the decision-making authority on this matter is the President, then why are there so many ministries?" In his statement, Sarıgül used the following expressions:

"5 of these aircraft could have been made active. However, their maintenance and repairs were not carried out, and budget insufficiency was cited as the reason. Those who say 'there is no budget' spent 70 million dollars on aircraft and helicopter rentals. The Ministry of Finance, which does not give raises to retirees or minimum wage earners and invents new taxes, does not support the Firebirds, the saviors of forest fires, and passes the buck. By avoiding responsibility, it also reveals its insensitivity on this issue."

No buyers had previously been found for the 8 CL-215 type firefighting aircraft that the THK, under a trustee administration, had put up for sale by labeling them as 'scrap'. These aircraft, which were used for firefighting missions for many years, had been decommissioned. Former Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli had made the statement, "These planes are scrap, they cannot fly."

News Source: 12punto