AKP figure reacts to Ministry over Grand Kartal Hotel: 'That it was built in accordance with the license...'

Addressing the fire tragedy at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center, where 78 people lost their lives, Yeni Şafak columnist and former AKP MP Mehmet Metiner said, "No one should hide behind empty rhetoric. No one should make political excuses. There is blatant turning a blind eye here. There is favoritism. There is negligence. There is fault. If everything had been in order at that hotel, the outcome would not have been like this. Whoever failed to do what was necessary must be held accountable. Whoever that may be. If it is the municipality, then the municipality; if it is the ministry, then the ministry; if it is the hotel owner and managers, then them. Whoever they are, they will certainly be held accountable. Whoever is responsible, that is who it is," he said.

"Whoever has the authority to inspect and whoever failed to do so, that is who it is," Metiner said, adding, "Whoever is guilty will be held accountable in the harshest way possible. The only thing you see when you look at that hotel is irregularity, non-compliance, and fault from start to finish."

'I WOULD QUESTION THE SANITY OF ANYONE WHO SAYS IT WAS BUILT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ZONING'

Emphasizing that the authority to inspect should belong to the relevant ministry in every sense, Metiner wrote:

"I would question the sanity of anyone who says it was built in accordance with zoning. It is clear that they kept adding extensions as they pleased. Someone turned a blind eye! Someone showed favoritism! The back is like a deep cliff. That is why fire trucks could not get close from the back. I ask: Who gave permission for that building to be constructed in that way, and who gave the occupancy permit despite the extensions that violated the license? There are no fire precautions. It is extremely problematic in terms of fire safety. Who gave the fire competency certificate? Let's say the municipality gave it, who inspected it? If it had been inspected, those deficiencies would have been seen. Were formal inspections carried out, or was it ignored even though it was seen that there was no fire safety? Who has that inspection authority? This question must be clarified."

"Everyone should stop passing the buck to one another. Regulations are flying around. How many regulations are there, my friend? Are there regulations that everyone can interpret as they wish? That is a tourist hotel. The inspection authority should belong to the relevant ministry in every sense. If not, it is wrong. If it is, then it means there are other irregularities and schemes that we need to name and pursue in the inspections."

'THE SYSTEM MUST COURAGEOUSLY FACE ITSELF'

"The system must courageously face itself. And we must all muster the courage to hold those responsible and guilty accountable, regardless of who they are. This is a humanitarian and conscientious stance. There is no politics in this matter. There is no political partisanship in this matter."

'I AM BY NO MEANS CONVINCED THAT THE HOTEL BUILDING WAS CONSTRUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LICENSE'

"I am by no means convinced that the hotel building was constructed in accordance with the license. It appears that extensions were made over time. Who turned a blind eye, and why did they give permission? A fire breaks out, the building burns down, and fire trucks cannot intervene because of its location, because the back is a cliff. It is unbelievable! How can this not be considered, how can it be ignored? There are no fire exit stairs opening to the outside of the hotel. It is said that there are no fire extinguishers or fire alarm systems in the rooms. Yet, despite this, there is a fire competency certificate. How can this be? How can such a document be issued?

Let's say the relevant ministry issues the tourism operation license by looking at the fire competency certificate. But what about afterwards? In subsequent inspections, are those devices not inspected to see if they exist and, if they do, whether they work? If they are inspected, how is this not seen, how is it not detected, and why is no action taken?

If the only authority to do this is the municipality, what does the ministry's relationship with tourist hotels and businesses cover, and to what extent?"

News Source: 12punto