Başakşehir Municipality puts land on Kanal İstanbul route up for sale
The AKP-run Istanbul Başakşehir Municipality is on the agenda with controversial tenders, real estate sales, and supplementary budget debates. The municipality has put a 31,754-square-meter plot of land in Tatarcık neighborhood up for sale with an estimated value of 500 million TL.
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The AKP-run Istanbul Başakşehir Municipalityis on the agenda due to non-competitive public tenders, multi-billion lira real estate sales, and supplementary budget debates.
Most recently, the municipality put a 31,754-square-meter property located on block 125, parcel 23 in the Tatarcık neighborhood, which lies on the Kanal İstanbul route, up for sale. The proximity of the land, which is the size of four football fields, to Sazlıbosna Lake is noteworthy.
VALUE IS 500 MILLION TL
The zoning status is designated as a "development residential area" and the estimated value of the land has been set at 500 million TL. Speaking about the land sale, CHP Başakşehir District Chair Beyzade Kayabaşı criticized the move, arguing that the sales are not in the public interest.
MUNICIPAL LANDS ARE BEING SOLD AT HALF PRICE
Speaking to the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Beyzade Kayabaşı alleged that the municipality acted irregularly when determining prices before the sale of the real estate.
Kayabaşı stated,"Prices before land sales are determined by appraisal commissions. However, the municipality sets the fair market value based on prices they receive from friendly real estate agents and then goes to tender. They are selling public lands for a pittance. When we look at the prices of other lands in that region sold by the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) or independent individuals, we see that the municipality is selling land at half price. If these were their own lands, they wouldn't sell them this cheaply. The Başakşehir Municipality is handing these lands over to firms they are close to and to whom they award tenders. Only a few companies participate in the tenders for these lands." he said.
THEY ARE BEING PUT UP FOR SALE FOR Kanal İstanbul RENT
Stating that the sale of the land in question is related to the Kanal İstanbul project, Kayabaşı said, "These lands are being sold to crony firms to create a housing stock along the Kanal İstanbul route and to pave the way for rent-seeking."