Ekrem İmamoğlu's metro jab at Murat Kurum: 'A candidate who hasn't done their homework needs a few hours of briefing'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu had restarted the construction works of the “Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe Metro Line”, a project that had been stalled since 2017, on September 20, 2019.

Accompanied by CHP’s Ataşehir (Onursal Adıgüzel), Ümraniye (Aykut Erdoğdu), and Kadıköy (Mesut Kösedağ) candidates, İmamoğlu carried out the first test drive on the line in the presence of members of the press.

Having received information about the line from IMM Deputy Secretary General Pelin Alpkökin and IMM Head of Rail Systems Department Ceyhun Avşar, İmamoğlu made statements to journalists before the test drive from Ataşehir Station to the Finance Center Station.

"WE HAD CONSTRUCTION SITES THAT WERE NOT MOVING"

“At the same time, there is a separate ground for discussion regarding the project that the current government attaches great importance to, with its pros and cons. It is a line that includes the Finance Center. When I wanted to visit the Finance Center construction site and get information, the officials accompanying me mentioned the mobilization of nearly 90 thousand employees. Therefore, it is impossible to transport or mobilize that area with buses or rubber-tired vehicles. It is not possible. If you remember, before the 2019 elections, they described this as a major project during the election period, saying, ‘We are opening the Finance Center in a year.’ Immediately after taking office, this became one of the lines I cared about the most. We looked at it quickly. Of course, we looked at many lines. Because we inherited a situation like this. First of all, let all our friends hear and see this reality. That is, except for one line, there was almost no employee mobilization or movement on any line. It was zero. In other words, the construction sites were empty. People were not even moving. And some of these had been stopped for six months, some had not even started. We had construction sites that had not moved for 2 years, 1.5 years, and we inherited them this way.”

"THE CONSTRUCTION SITE WAS AT 4 PERCENT WHEN WE TOOK IT OVER"

“We took office at the beginning of July 2019 and naturally, we looked at observing this construction site, and among those observations, our friends identified risky areas in almost every construction site. Think about it; in some places, tunnels were opened, concrete was not poured, and there are structures on top. There were construction sites that had been standing like that for months, even a year. In terms of treating these risky areas, starting with Ms. Pelin and our other friends, they entered into an intensive study with the contractors to take quick measures.

This construction site is also one of the sites we took over at a 4 percent level. So think of it this way: 4 percent progress in exactly 2.5 years. We started here in October 2019 with our own resources. Based on the work on this line, which we started with our own resources, we obtained a loan for it from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development within 3-4 months, 75 million Euros in 2021. The permission to use this loan comes to us 1 year later. In other words, we are kept waiting for 1 year for this, and in the meantime, we continue to run this construction site with our own resources. And we both motivate our contractors and carry out our work.”

80 PERCENT OF THE LINE COMPLETED

“At the end of the day, today we are proud to have reached the 80 percent level on this line. A simple calculation: 80 percent in 4 years; 4 percent in 2.5 years. And while we reached the 80 percent level within these 4 years, we also provided a total resource of 400 million Euros for this line. And with this provision, we are currently at full throttle, hopefully preparing to offer this line to the service of Istanbulites about a year from now. At the same time, processes regarding everything from its escalators to its vehicles are also being carried out and are ongoing. Hopefully, in 2025, we will offer our Göztepe-Ataşehir-Ümraniye line to the service of our people with 4.5-5 years of intensive work, despite many obstacles… Look; the minimum average of each of our loan acquisitions is 1-1.5 years. In other words, we have cooked the job, matured it, and reached an agreement with the institutions. It takes time for it to pass through the Assembly, and time for Treasury approval. When you put all these on top of each other, why are we delayed by 1-1.5 years? These funds and resources we find, this money that will be paid back in the long term, is a resource entering the country from outside; one. With that resource, thousands of our employees earn their bread here; two. All of our subcontractors or contractors are local; three. Many products used here are local products; four. So it has such a contribution to the economy.”

"SIGN IT, MY BROTHER"

“Look; we have provided nearly 1.6 billion Euros for all our metro lines within these 4.5 years. So, thank us for finding such a resource. And thank us for activating and finishing these lines. Forget the thanks, we moved past that, just sign it on time, my brother. It is a completely tragicomic situation. At the end of the day, we are walking the path with success. One year from now, we will hopefully open this place to the service of our people. Metro work is subject to order, subject to discipline. A metro line must be well-designed. After it is well-designed, a good project and a good feasibility study must be done for it. Then, first, a healthy financing model must be organized for it, and then, the tender for these lines. So that when the firm arrives, it can start its work smoothly. Do you know what 4 percent means? Actually, an advance is given to the contractor at that rate. Usually, in such heavy jobs, there is an advance payment. The contractor takes that advance too. That is already at the 3-4 percent level. He sets up his construction site, etc. Then he waits if there is no resource… These are big jobs. In other words, we have line costs reaching 1 billion Euros. We have line costs reaching 500-600 million Euros. If the contractor cannot see ahead, how will he step on the gas?”

ERBAKAN ADVICE TO ERDOĞAN

“Just think; you hold the tender in 2017. Then the mayor comes and says, ‘I canceled the tender.’ Then they say, ‘Wait a minute, what are you doing? This is irregular.’ 1 year later, you say, ‘Come on, start again.’ Such a nonsensical period. That is why do you know what the emptiest talk is? ‘Let us be the government, let us be the municipality, let us do the work.’ Skip that work. I watched a nice video of the late Erbakan the other day. The late Erbakan explained that this is empty work, as if giving a lesson. I advise Mr. President and other defenders in this sense to listen to the late Erbakan's video. He explained it so well, that such a thing does not exist, that the exact opposite motivation is better… I sign under every word of the late Erbakan. In this sense, it is the equivalent of how poorly this process is managed, that their business and power is not to do these jobs, but to deal with other things.”

"IT USED TO TAKE 20 YEARS, IT TOOK IT FROM US IN 10 MONTHS"

“Let me tell you something worse: Let's see how many months it will take the money for the Bakırköy-Kirazlı line from us in 9-10 years? There is also such a tragic situation. In other words, he hands it over to us. He handed over Sabiha Gökçen, he handed over the Başakşehir-Kayaşehir line; he took his money from us in 10 months. 6 billion liras. Previously, he used to get his money in 16-17 years, 20 years. He took it from us in 10 months. Now you finished it in 10 years, Bakırköy-Kirazlı. How much did it cost? We don't know. How did you take it over? We don't know. Worse; it is published in the Official Gazette, it says, ‘The ministry will also buy its vehicles.’ He is handing us the metro without vehicles. As if the people will run through the tunnel or count the kilometers one, two, three like someone is counting. May God give them wisdom. I don't say anything else. May God give wisdom, may God give logic, may God give conscience. I pray a lot during the month of Ramadan. Dear mayoral candidates, those with clean hearts, their prayers are answered. Look, even in this month of Ramadan, I am thinking of their well-being. In other words, I am saying may He give wisdom. I am saying may God reform you. What more can I say?”

"BRIEFING" JAB AT KURUM

“We are also opening strong functions at every station of the metros we will open. For example; today in Kayışdağı, we are opening a ‘Youth Entrepreneurship Innovation Center.’ For example, did we find strong areas at metro stops? We are turning them into areas. We are turning the top into useful areas. For example, we have City Restaurants, right? We are opening a nursery right above the station, in the square. In other words, we are opening points that will provide tremendous service to our people again. In other words, we are not killing 2 birds, 3 birds with one stone, we are killing quite a lot, 10-15-20 birds. We will count those birds soon on the Bostancı coast. Alemdağ Street, the square there… We will walk around today. I can tell many things with enthusiasm. Everything I say here might confuse a candidate who hasn't done their homework. He will probably take an Istanbul guide index and needs to take a few hours of briefing to understand ‘where are these districts, where does this metro pass, where is the district.’ Anyway, let him not get too tired until March 31. Let us look at our work, let us continue our work. Don't we have a lot of work after March 31, Ms. Pelin?”

HIZRAY EXPLANATION

After the statement, İmamoğlu, who carried out the test drive, shared his views on HIZRAY with members of the press inside the wagon:

“Our HIZRAY project, that is, this project that will hopefully travel from Sabiha Gökçen to Beylikdüzü in 55 minutes, is a high-speed rail system connected to the existing stations, 13 stations, just as it connects Istanbul from one end to the other. It provides a strong connection with the city by making such an existing situation active there without requiring extra cost, extra work. It is a very special situation. It is a very enjoyable job. It is also very valuable that my friends make a design with this sensitivity. Look; I would like to underline one more thing. They talked about this a lot. They also talked about it before 2019. For example; a three-story study had been done and if I remember correctly, the top and bottom were rubber-tired vehicles, and the middle was a rail system. The Ministry of Transport is conducting a study on this. We insistently say this: It is a system that will quickly eliminate that need to a large extent and provide the real rail system need. The studies and feasibility of that three-story design may have been carried out, but the real and essential need for Istanbul is the HIZRAY need that we have put forward. And that three-story system is not a system that embraces Istanbul from end to end either. Within a certain framework, as far as I know, it is a line that extends to Ataşehir, and on the other side to İncirli. And it is a line that supports rubber-tired vehicles again. We, on the other hand, are including a strong HIZRAY, where 1.5 million people are transported daily, into the system there. I hope it will be our destiny to achieve that too.”

News Source: 12punto