Largest land sale in city history by AKP-run municipality in İzmir: 'They plan to pay off debts by selling'

Menemen Municipality, the only municipality in İzmir won by the AKP in the March 31 Local Elections, continues to sell off its real estate assets.

According to a report by Gazete Duvar, the municipality under the administration of AKP's Aydın Pehlivan, which decided to sell 113 properties at the first council meeting held in April, generated nearly 300 million TL in revenue in June by selling 10 parcels in Ulukent.

LARGEST LAND SALE IN CITY HISTORY

Not content with this, the AKP-run municipality signed off on the largest land sale in the city's history in July.

NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS, AGRICULTURAL LAND, AND OLIVE GROVES UP FOR SALE

It was announced that 94 more plots of land belonging to Menemen Municipality, totaling nearly 1 million square meters, will be put up for sale in August. It is estimated that the revenue to be generated from the land sales will be nearly 1.5 billion TL. The announcement in the Official Gazette stated that the sales will be conducted by the municipal committee at the Menemen Municipal Building between August 12 and 18. Looking at the list, it is notable that the plots offered for sale include areas with 1st and 2nd-degree natural protected area status. It was also observed that the parcels include agricultural land classified as "fields," and some lands are defined as "fields with 2 olive trees."

METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY FILES LAWSUIT

Following the sale decision, the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality filed a lawsuit requesting a stay of execution and the subsequent cancellation of the sale of 86 parcels. It was stated that 86 of the properties included in the sale notice were subject to the lawsuit due to their location in zoning plans, the need to observe public interest in this context, and other environmental impacts. It was also stated that if the sale takes place, construction will begin immediately, paving the way for multiple construction projects on properties not designated for residential use.

"IT HAS EVEN SURPASSED METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITIES IN SALES"

Speaking about the sales, CHP Municipal Council Member Uygar Kanmış drew attention to the sales made between 2022 and 2023, saying, "Menemen Municipality is the municipality making the largest sales not just in İzmir, but in the entire Aegean Region. It has even surpassed metropolitan municipalities. It carried out sales three times the size of its budget in 2022-2023. We had opposed these sales when they were being made. These lands were sold in blocks. They were not sold on a parcel basis. The goal here was to hand them over to pro-government large firms. If they had been divided into parcels, their value would have increased much more. The prices of large parcels always drop, and the number of bidders decreases. Therefore, they also caused public loss in those sales. They used debts as an excuse, but they did not pay the debts. SGK (Social Security Institution) debts still exist at Menemen Municipality. Tax debts also continue. But they also wiped out a 5 billion budget."

"THEY PLAN TO PAY OFF DEBTS BY SELLING"

"The projects they started under the guise of service during their own term are nearing completion, and payments need to be made. A debt of approximately 1.3 billion liras has emerged for these payments. They plan to pay off this debt by selling again," said Kanmış, adding that the municipality also has its eyes on a section of the Kubilay Barracks.

Kanmış stated the following:

"The housing lands of the Kubilay Barracks also belong to the municipality and were given as an allocation. They are holding meetings with institutions and organizations regarding these allocated places, requesting that land be given to the municipality, or they are saying that they will not approve the allocation in the coming period. In exchange for this section, they are requesting the allocation of the military's firing range in Gölpark to them. In other words, they will give away the place where the housing is and take Gölpark. Of course, they plan to sell that place too. It is planned that the area will become a Food Organized Industrial Zone. First, the sale will be secured, then it will be declared an organized industrial zone. Someone will make serious wealth from this. A very serious rent-seeking event occurred in Menemen in a very short time. What happened in Turkey over a long period happened in Menemen in an accelerated manner in 24 months, and our people could not understand what was happening."

News Source: 12punto