Claiming 'the land is mine,' he closed a 50-year-old village road

In the village of Güllüce in Niğde, an individual has closed a village road passing through his own land to vehicle traffic because the land had not been expropriated.

Landowner Ümit Demirkol, who stated that he has lost 5 decares of his 21-decare plot due to the road, said he had spoken with the relevant institutions to prevent the loss of his rights but could not find a solution. Demirkol, who had poles erected in the middle of the Güllüce Dam Road to enclose the part of the road that falls within his land with wire fencing, stated that his goal was not to victimize anyone but that he would not sacrifice his land.

Demirkol said, "This is our deeded land. We have determined our boundaries and are enclosing them with wire. If I waive the part of our land where the road passes, I lose 5 decares of area. I spoke with the Provincial Special Administration, and they said there was nothing they could do and that I could close it since it is not a main road. This is not the only road to the village; if an agreement is reached, I will of course be conciliatory. I do not want to victimize anyone, but this is not the only road to the village."

Güllüce Village Headman Salim Güneş, who stated that they had held talks with the landowner to ensure the villagers could continue using the 50-year-old road but did not receive a positive response, said that if this problem is not resolved, undesirable situations will occur in the region, adding, "The landowner wants to close this place. We say let our road remain. We will try to reach a compromise. If that doesn't happen, the road will be closed. He will be a victim, and we will be victims."

Village residents who use the road expressed that they want the problem to be resolved as soon as possible, stating that they would suffer if the road were closed.