Şükrü Durmuş: We called a thief a thief, now they want to put us on trial

Gizem Yaralı-12punto

A paradise in the middle of the Eşen Stream Delta, the longest river in the Lycian region of the Mediterranean: the Patara dunes... In Antalya's Kaş district, where the ancient city of Patara rises, which is a breeding ground for endangered caretta carettas, home to endemic plant species, and protected by the Special Environmental Protection Law, 2,186 truckloads of sand were stolen last year from Patara.

SALE IS PROHIBITED BY LAW

Mixed with the region's alluvial soil and used in greenhouses A truckload of this special sand is sold for 20,000 TL. The market value of the stolen sand reaches 110 million TL. While the lawsuit regarding the sand theft, which involves some AKP district heads and council members, is ongoing, this sand was sold through a rigged tender.

The Kaş Forest Management Directorate sold 400 truckloads of sand to the son-in-law of Mustafa Bahar, the owner of the Faybahar company accused of sand theft, at 320 TL per truck. The sale of confiscated sand is not possible according to the law. To hide this sale, the invoice was written as "humus soil" instead of sand. So, what happened to the remaining 1,786 truckloads of confiscated sand?

'THEY TRIED TO HIDE THE HEIST'

Conducting an investigation in the region, Tarım-Orman-İş Union General President Şükrü Durmuş“It is also a major scandal that they listed the sold sand as ‘humus soil’ on the invoice. In our forestry history, there is no such thing as a sale of ‘humus soil.’ The forest administration officials and the Kaş Municipality are trying to cover up the heist by leaning on the AKP government. AKP Antalya Deputy İbrahim Aydın took on the role of protector for this network in the region. We were reported because we called a thief a thief, and now they want to put us on trial. We are right in our case, so we will continue our struggle. Their understanding of power and our understanding of power are not the same. We are right. A person who is right is a powerful person. I have been performing my duty with honor for years; I have not used even a single tree branch for myself, and I cannot. This nature and these forests belong to the State; they cannot be stolen or sold. We did not inherit this nature from our fathers; we inherited it from our children. Because a trust must be well cared for. We will continue to do our part. The issue here is unfortunately not limited to just sand theft. Patara is a paradise in the Mediterranean, located in the middle of the Eşen Stream Delta, the longest river in the Lycian region, and there is a massive amount of rent-seeking going on in this area. This must be stopped for the sake of our future,” he said.

(Members of the Tarım Orman-İş Union who went to the region conducted an investigation and prepared a report)

THEY CAUSED IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE

Increasing in the region along with the AKP The sand theft caused irreversible damage to the ecosystem.Among the partners of the company that stole 2,186 truckloads of sand, which was confiscated as a result of the struggle of Forest Ranger Umut Utku, is AKP Kaş District Vice President Osman Deniz Karataç. AKP council members Tevfik Taner and Nihat Uçar, as well as Kalkan Forest Management Chief Aydın Ersoy, are also being tried in the same case.

The network that uses state power, which is linked to the AKP, had Utku, who detected the sand theft, dismissed from civil service; however, the young officer was able to return to his post as a result of the great reaction from the union and the public, as well as a legal battle.

PROTECTED BY ATATÜRK'S DIRECTIVE

In order to prevent the Patara sand from disappearing due to wind erosion and from damaging the agricultural lands in the interior, In the 1930s, the great leader Atatürk gave instructions, and screening was carried out with special plants brought in to prevent dune movement; eucalyptus and Cyprus acacias were planted behind them, and the ecosystem in the region was preserved until today.

News Source: Gizem Yaralı