Murat Kurum says 'Kanal Istanbul is not on our agenda': 'The expected funding for the waterway project has not arrived'

Hazal Güven - 12punto.com.tr

Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum made a striking statement regarding the Kanal Istanbul project, which has been on the agenda for days. Kurum used the phrase, "Kanal Istanbul is not on our agenda."

Responding to journalists' questions before the AKP Group Meeting, Minister Kurum said, "We have said before that Kanal Istanbul is not on our agenda. The effort to drag the issue into other areas will remain unreciprocated in the eyes of our nation."

EMPHASIS ON 'SOCIAL HOUSING'

Minister Kurum stated, "Those residences are social housing for our nation that we promised during election campaigns... In this sense, it is a project we are carrying out so that our citizens who do not own homes can become homeowners. Contrary to what the opposition says, housing has not been sold to Arabs or other foreign citizens. All those who purchased them are citizens of the Republic of Turkey."

'THE PROJECT HAS TWO LEGS'

City planner Prof. Dr. Pelin Pınar Giritlioğlu had explained the details of Kurum's statement to 12punto days ago. Stating that the Kanal Istanbul project has two legs, Giritlioğlu said the following regarding the rapidly rising 'social housing' emphasized by Kurum:

“The public thinks only a canal will be built, but behind this, there is actually a very serious real estate and property project. We are a city expecting an earthquake. We are building residential areas on top of three active fault lines. We are building on top of stream beds. In other words, structures that are contrary to all urban planning principles, planning foundations, and public interest are currently rising there. These structures are being attempted to be legitimized under the name of 'social housing.' This is wrong for two reasons. First, what is being built is not social housing. Look at the prices and you will see. Second, even if it were social housing, it should not be in that region. In other words, that region should not have been opened to development in any way."

'THEY CANNOT FIND FUNDING FOR THE WATERWAY'

Prof. Dr. Giritlioğlu had stated that the money required for the waterway part of the project could not be found, and for this reason, the real estate/property part is currently progressing quickly, while the canal project is moving slowly.

Giritlioğlu had used the following expressions:

“The expected funding for the waterway project has not arrived. Therefore, that waterway leg will continue slowly until a source of finance is found. But that part is also very dangerous. There are 7 vehicle bridges and one railway bridge over it. Each of these bridges is about as large as the Bosphorus Bridge. One is even larger. Let us consider the traffic misery that Istanbul experiences every day. It is necessary to think about what kind of traffic load will come with the new bridges and what kind of population explosion will occur. All of these actions are also contrary to the Environmental Plan. In other words, whatever the Environmental Plan says, Kanal Istanbul does the opposite. It has an approach that destroys the concept of planning. Incredible tenders have been held, and dozens of companies have received tenders in the region. The tenders received by just 8 of them are around 30 billion. What is our priority in this city? Why are we investing in a meaningless project like Kanal Istanbul while there is so much hunger, misery, and we do not have enough public space? I do not think there is any rational answer to this."