12punto had brought it to the agenda... Statement from TOKİ on Samandağ: 'An investigation has been launched'

Manufacturing defects in TOKİ residences in the Samandağ district of Hatay had recently come to the agenda.

Speaking to 12punto, politicians stated that they had established communication with the District Governorship and that the issue had been reported to TOKİ.

Most recently, the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) issued a statement regarding the construction of 424 housing units currently underway in the Hıdırbey neighborhood of Samandağ district, following social media posts concerning faulty workmanship. In a statement released on TOKİ's official social media account, it was reported that the public was being misled by posts made from certain accounts.

In a statement noting that no destruction was observed in TOKİ residences across the 11 provinces hit by the February 6 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, it was stated: "Following the disaster of the century, as TOKİ, we began work from the very first moment for the revival and reconstruction of our cities. In the blocks of our residences currently under rapid construction in Hatay's Samandağ district, formwork and reinforcement checks are being carried out. If any deficiency is detected during the inspection of iron reinforcement manufacturing, it is immediately rectified before formwork assembly begins. It was determined by our administration's technical staff and the consultant firm's personnel, and recorded in minutes, that there was no issue with the formwork assembly itself, but that the concrete poured after the formwork was removed was defective, leading to a manufacturing error. In this context, in order to rectify the defects, the defective concrete in the floor slabs and column shear walls of the affected floor was demolished, and the work in question is being corrected in accordance with the zero-tolerance principle. To prevent the recurrence of faulty manufacturing, necessary measures have also been taken regarding the materials and recipe ratios used at the concrete batching plant. Furthermore, an investigation has been launched into the contractor firm and the consultant firm responsible for the faulty manufacturing in question."

The statement, which noted that faulty manufacturing may be encountered during construction work, stated the following:

"Upon detection, work was carried out regarding the matter, and deficiencies were addressed in accordance with the rules of science and art, with necessary measures taken by our administration to prevent recurrence. While this is the current situation regarding our project, it is evident that posts aimed at discrediting our administration have been made in some media outlets and on social media platforms. Furthermore, we would like to state that we are building our houses in the earthquake zone with the same meticulousness as we have built them before—houses that have earned the appreciation of our nation for their robustness and reliability. We continue our work day and night to deliver our high-quality, earthquake-resistant new homes to our disaster-affected citizens as soon as possible. Additionally, regarding the 'Construction of 424 Residences, Infrastructure, and Landscaping in Hıdırbey Neighborhood, Samandağ District, Hatay Province,' the repairs for the negative images reflected on social media on 22.07.2024 have been carried out in accordance with technical specifications. The repairs made are shown with photographs."