The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) announced the first anniversary of the Çorlu Train Massacre. The statement said, “We remember the ones who lost the Çorlu Train Accident in the first year, and we want those responsible to be punished in the way they deserve”.
8 July 2018 history and 25 people died in the Çorlu Train Accident 1. TMMOB Executive Board Emin Koramaz made a press release on 7 July 2019. According to the statement, 25 year has passed over Çorlu Train Accident, where 340 was killed and 1 was injured. The pain of what we lost remains fresh in our hearts. We remember them with longing and wish their families patience.
Unfortunately, the developments in the past year have broken our expectations and hopes for clarifying the causes of the accident and the prosecution of those responsible. In the investigation carried out after the accident, senior officials and bureaucrats were excluded from the file and it was found that some names in the expert committee formed to investigate the accident were related to the company responsible for the accident.
The demands of painful families fighting against the cover up of the accident were ignored by the political power and judicial authorities. The press release that families wanted to make before the Constitutional Court last month was suppressed by police violence.
At the first hearing held in Çorlu last week, the security forces did not want to take the relatives of the disappeared to the courtroom, and the court delegation who saw the case prevented the trial from starting.
All these developments not only increased the pain of families but also caused great wounds in our social conscience. In order to prevent this process from reaching a traumatic dimension, a fair and quick trial process should be carried out immediately and the sense of damage should be established. As TMMOB, we will continue to stand by families at every stage of the proceedings.
8 July After the train accident in Çorlu on 2018, it was determined by the TMMOB and our affiliated chambers that the maintenance-repair and renovation works of the railway infrastructure were not performed in accordance with the technical requirements and that the line was not properly inspected. It is a known fact that these findings and deficiencies are not specific to the accident in Çorlu.
In recent years, the frequency of accidents experienced in hastily completed projects is remarkable. The reason for this is that these projects are carried out in line with the needs of the society and the necessities of science rather than the needs of political power and the imposition of capital. Every project that aims to provide rent to the supporters, reduce the cost of production and turn public services into election propaganda puts human life at risk. Parallel to privatization and commercialization policies, cuts in public employment and cuts in spending raise questions about the security of public services.
The first priority of all public projects and services should be public interest and safety. For this purpose, in every stage of public projects and services, the requirements of science should be treated and engineering services should be fully received.
The Ankara High Speed Train Accident, which occurred after 5 months after the Çorlu Train Accident and where 9 people lost their lives, is the clearest indication that no lessons have been learned from the disasters and warnings we have made. All those responsible for these accidents should be punished as they deserve to avoid new suffering. In order to secure our railway network, all equipment and personnel required for maintenance, repair and inspection should be provided in full light in the light of scientific principles.
As TMMOB, we announce once again that we will continue to be a follower of this issue with public responsibility as we have done so far.
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