Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer was the guest of the program "Gündem with Ahmet Özdemir" on Channel 2021 live broadcast on the first day of 33. As we leave 2020 behind, Seçer, telling about the works they have done by establishing a bond of affection with the citizens at the point of service to Mersin, evaluated many issues from Mersin's vision project Metro to road construction works, agriculture to infrastructure, sports to education. Seçer emphasized that 2021, together with the year of love and recovery, will be the year of breakthrough in Mersin.

"Metro is a civilization project, a social project"

Reminding that the pre-qualification tender of the metro project has been completed and the companies that have pre-qualification will bid for the construction tender on January 29, Seçer said, “Legal processes, objections, most of them will be the processes we have to wait. I hope there will be no negative developments that will take us a lot of time. Otherwise, the project has already been prepared to be implemented. Approved by the Ministry of Transport, General Directorate of Infrastructure. "It is an issue that the President of the Republic has included in the investment program in November 2019."

Mayor Seçer, noting that the Metro project does not end with only a 13.4-kilometer stage, will be carried out by the rail work that will connect the 4 central districts, and said, “We want to bring together the Mediterranean with Mezitli, Yenişehir with the Taurus, and all the people of the region with a rail system. Therefore, I do not see it as a project that will only solve a public transportation or traffic problem. A civilization project, a social project. Therefore, we will start the second stage with 8.9 kilometers, level, 6 stations from Siteler, and end at Kurdali, Çağdaşkent, Mersinli Ahmet Caddesi, City Hospital and finally the Bus Station. Responding to the criticisms that the underground project is more costly than the level crossing system, Seçer continued as follows:

“Sir, how will Mersin get under this debt? Look, he would love to make it level. If the topography or the development of the city were suitable for this and the General Directorate of Infrastructure had approved it, of course we would have brought it above ground. So I say this in terms of mileage, if a price that I will spend 40 units falls to 10 units when I climb above the ground, what would a straight logic want to do, a cost of 10 units. But since the possibilities did not allow, the need to bring 13.4 kilometers between east and west underground was born. This was not the choice of the municipality, neither did the previous municipality nor mine. But these studies are carried out within the Ministry of Transport. So when you make a rail systems project, you cannot go and do it, saying I did this project. There is the Ministry of Transport, you will go and apply to him. They will look, they will work on it, they will ask for a ground study, they will get information about the project, they will get the figures. There is a Transportation Master Plan, hour, passenger capacity. "

"We will spread it to 6 years, provided that they pay every 11 months"

Adding that all rail systems, including the metro, are also referred to as rail systems in the same way, Seçer says, “It has a capacity of 15 thousand passengers, it can be a tram if you have a route in the same direction per hour. He says that if you have a passenger capacity of 15 to 30 thousand, there will be a light rail system. But if you're going over 30, he says, it's called the metro. Ray when you look at the same actually. Only wagon types are changing. "I think it is better for people to comment after they have enough technical knowledge on this subject." Regarding the payment of the metro cost, Seçer said, “We will spread it to 6 years, provided that it is paid every 11 months. So, of course, we made the calculations of them. We evaluated the scenarios ”.

"We found a 2-year grace period and 8-year loan for buses"

Stating that the color of environmentally friendly buses was determined as yellow with the participation of citizens and he preferred to call these vehicles 'lemon', Seçer gave the following statements:

“Now the name of public transportation in Mersin is Limon. Because it is a very valuable product of us. Symbol, as a citrus variety. 9 of them are articulated buses, 12 of which are 63-meter standard buses. We are not limited to this alone. Currently an EBRD loan of 22 million Euros signed by the President. The grant is 5 million Euros. In other words, we will receive 22 million Euros, 5 million Euros of this will be donated to us. We found a loan with a 2-year grace period and an 8-year payment. It's a very affordable loan. We will probably buy buses for 100, 110, 120 prices. As you know, these are natural gas, environmentally friendly, green-friendly, and the EBRD gives a loan. The 73 buses we bought with our own budget are the same. Let me also give us the delivery date of the buses from Mersin, which will be delivered to us until May 19. If we want, they will deliver all of them to us on May 19. According to the production. The color will be yellow and white, we also determined them. In the second half of this year, if we do not face any obstacles from the Presidency or the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, their approval is extremely important. Of course, we sent the details to them. With their support, we will receive our EBRD loan. This bank does not give to every municipality. I think this will be an important work. "

"I attach great importance to Çukurova Regional Airport"

Stating that they exchanged ideas with Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar, Seçer said that the two provinces are similar in terms of demographic structure. Stating that Adana ranks 2st and Mersin 1nd in terms of income injustice, Seçer emphasized that Mersin is a very valuable city with its port, logistics, geography, agriculture and industry. Stating that Mersin promises a future and especially when important investments are made, Seçer said that he cares much about Çukurova Regional Airport in this regard. Seçer said, “It was too long. It was too late. I hope the last tender has been made, the site has been delivered to the contractor firm, and it will be put into service in a short time. It will make a very important contribution. The arrival of world citizens from all over the world who will travel to Mersin for investors or for whatever purpose will add value to Mersin ”.

"We will start Hal Junction towards the end of 2021"

Speaking about road construction and maintenance works, Mayor Seçer stated that their aim is not only to build roads, but to build quality roads. Stating that they try not to reject the demands of the mukhtars in road works, Seçer said, “We have strengthened the road asphalt units. We do not have a pencil master. Road asphalt department head, director on the field. Health for the efforts of all of our employees, ”he said. Stating that the Forum Floor Junction will be completed towards the end of January 2021, Seçer said, “Immigrant Intersection begins just like June. Towards the end of 2021, we will start Hal Junction. According to the information we received, the Highways, Akbelen Multi-Storey Crossroads were included in the 2021 investment program under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport. I hope that if the Highways do that, we will turn the 2nd ring road from Hal Junction to Mezitli, to Üniversite Avenue, and even further to the regions where there is a western direction, into a corridor where our vehicles can travel comfortably. In addition, that area is an extremely busy place at GMK, at the crossroads of the Highways Hospital. We also have our projection there. All of these are multi-level intersection works that we plan to complete by the end of 2023. We want to relieve the second ring road as soon as possible. Because we are starting the Metro project, ”he said.

"We will build a bicycle path to every street that offers opportunities in terms of quantity"

President Seçer, who made statements about the bicycle paths that are being built throughout the city, said, “We have now decided this as a basic principle in the bicycle path; In Anamur, Bozyazı, Tarsus, everywhere in the center, we will already be doing new works on our streets, that is, on the avenues we have just opened. But we will build a bicycle path on every street that offers opportunities in terms of quantity in places where we are doing improvement work ”.