Properties given to foundations free of charge during the AKP era in Üsküdar have been reclaimed

The meeting, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker of the Council Mithat Özdemir, was held in the municipal council hall.

Speaking on behalf of the People's Alliance group, AKP Group Deputy Chairman Dündar Ziya Gültekin stated that they did not find it appropriate to rush through decisions regarding the cancellation of property allocations and protocols made by the municipality in previous terms, despite the pending issues in Üsküdar.  

Expressing that they know the reason for the hostility toward NGOs initiated under the leadership of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in the previous term, Gültekin said, "There is no need to create a perception by distorting the law here. If there is a situation contrary to the law, the place to discuss this is not the council hall, but the courtrooms. 

If your view is justified, these transactions will be cancelled, and no one will have anything to say. Can you put a court decision in front of us? No. You are clinging to the draft reports of the Court of Accounts, but why are you not waiting for the final decision? The Court of Accounts has not had a single negative decision regarding these cooperation protocols of our Üsküdar Municipality for the last 20 years," he said. 

Providing information about the activities of the non-governmental organizations in question, Gültekin explained that one of these organizations provides meals to poor families, while the other provides university preparation courses to orphan girls growing up in Children's Homes. 

Gültekin noted that they would continue to support the activities of non-governmental organizations. 

Speaking on behalf of the CHP group, Zülfikar Güneş Gülaydın also said that the action they took should not be interpreted as hostility toward NGOs.

 Gülaydın said, "In the first meeting, the number of allocated places was reflected in the media as 25, but this number is 30. Of the transferred places, 5 are alliance facilities, and 25 are properties transferred within the scope of a joint service protocol. 20 of the 25 are rented from the General Directorate of Foundations, and 5 are owned by our municipality. Our municipality regularly pays 507 thousand 112 liras every month for the 20 properties our municipality rents from the General Directorate of Foundations," he said. 

Following the speeches, the voting on the cancellation of the protocols regarding the 30 places allocated to non-governmental organizations and the authorization of the mayor was held. 

The cancellation of the allocation was accepted by majority vote despite the "no" votes of the AKP and MHP groups.

VALİDEBAĞ GROVE

CHP Council Member Emre Gülener also stated that with the Council of State decision dated April 4, 2024, it has been finalized that Validebağ Grove will remain a grove.

Stating that the discussions regarding Validebağ Grove have been going on for 25 years, Gülener said the following:

"Validebağ Grove is the only area in Istanbul, and even on the European continent, that remains within the city as a first-degree natural protected area and a grove. A struggle has been waged here for exactly 25 years. This struggle was waged with all its might so that the 354-decare area would remain a grove. The people of Validebağ remained within the boundaries of the law, and the legislator finally decided that this place should remain a grove." 

News Source: AA