CHP-run municipality cancels allocations made to Ensar and TÜGVA

The April 2024 council meeting of the CHP-run İzmit Municipality was held under the chairmanship of Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet, where 34 agenda items were discussed and resolved.

During the meeting, the cancellation of the protocol regarding the Tepeköy Student Dormitory, which had been allocated to the Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA) for 25 years by the previous AKP administration, was discussed. It was decided by a majority vote to cancel the protocol, which had been determined to be irregular by Court of Accounts reports and a court ruling.

"THIS ALLOCATION IS UNLAWFUL AND WRONG"

Speaking on the item, İzmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet stated the following:

“We will not send this item to the commission. There is a Court of Accounts report and a court ruling. This allocation is unlawful and wrong. Since this allocation was made due to a decision taken by the municipal council, it can be undone by a decision of the municipal council. There is no decision left for the commission. We had also sent you the reason. There are students there benefiting from the right to housing. We will continue to operate it as a municipality. The rights of the students until the end of the term are under our guarantee.

"WE ARE TAKING BACK THE DORMITORY TO OPERATE IT UNDER MUNICIPAL CONTROL"

The same service will continue to be provided under our municipality's auspices. The land was provided by the state, and the construction was carried out by the municipality. An allocation was made to a foundation for 25 years. Furthermore, such an allocation cannot be made. This foundation is making money from this place.

It provides service for a fee. Students are paying money to the foundation for a place built with the municipal budget. The primary duty of the state is to operate the dormitory under its own auspices.

We are taking back the dormitory to operate it under municipal control. Service will be provided by the municipality without victimizing the students. Moreover, we will provide the service for free. Students will not pay money either. We are striving to give the rights of the people of İzmit back to the people of İzmit.” 

AKP council member Hayrettin Ünlü, in his speech on the subject, said, “If your concern was truly service, you would have built another one instead of taking an existing dormitory. Your intention, as always, is to beat the grape-grower rather than eat the grapes. Unfortunately, our belief that you would be everyone's mayor from the first day has been lost.”

The item on the cancellation of the protocol, which was put to a vote, was accepted with CHP votes, while AKP and MHP members abstained.

Within the scope of the agenda items addressed at the meeting, the protocol regarding the Nebi Güdük Youth Center, which had been given to the use of the Ensar Foundation in previous periods, was also cancelled. The item in question passed the council by a majority vote.