Mersin Metropolitan Municipality's January 2022 Assembly Meeting was held under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer. Stating that they will renew the Transportation Master Plan at the assembly meeting, President Seçer said, “We are renewing the Transportation Master Plan, which was last made in 2 and has been 2015 years since. It will be completed in about 7 years,” he said.
5th International Mersin Marathon postponed to 2023
Announcing that the 27th International Mersin Marathon, which was planned to be held on March 2022, 5, was postponed to 2023, President Seçer said, “As per the decision taken by the World Athletics Federation in November, it was postponed to 2023. We wanted so much, we cared about this marathon. Our municipality was holding these marathon events in the silver category. It could not be done for two years because of the pandemic. We will set the date later in 2023. I hope that the epidemic will lose its power and importance this year and we will hold the 5th International Mersin Marathon in the Silver category in our Mersin in 2023,” he said.
“We are renewing the Transport Master Plan”
President Seçer stated that they are carrying out a renovation work on the Transportation Master Plan and said, “Undoubtedly, transportation is one of the most important problems of Mersin. For this reason, we are doing a comprehensive study on planning our city street by street. While we are working on zoning plans throughout the city, we are also taking important steps to solve the transportation problems of our city. Because we think that the existing problems will not be solved without harmonizing the zoning and transportation plans, and we know very well that if we do not work in this way, new problems will arise. In this context, we are renewing the Transportation Master Plan, which was last made in 2015 and has been 7 years since.”
“To be completed in 1,5 years”
President Seçer, who added that editing studies will be carried out in the light of innovations in the Transportation Master Plan, said:
“Our expert staff in the field; He examined and designed the innovations and systems in transportation. Our Mersin Transportation Master Plan is outside of our four central districts with a population of over 100 thousand; we are already doing it in our four central districts; We include Erdemli, Silifke and Tarsus within the Mersin Transportation Master Master Plan. The titles of the works to be done within the scope of the Transportation Master Plan are as follows; Preparation of the Feasibility Report for the Rail System, Preparation of the Preliminary Projects of the 35 km 3 Stage Rail System, Optimization of the Public Transport Line, Preparation of the Preliminary Projects of 16 Interchanges, Physical Inspection of 150 Junctions and Making the Necessary Arrangements, Preparation of the Action Plan for the Rehabilitation of the Rubber Wheeled Public Transport System, Determination and Construction of Parking Lot Needs, Surveys with Citizens on All Kinds of Transportation Problems in the Region, Processing of Final Reports of Developments in the Rail System Project and New Route Suggestions. According to the contract we made in the last days of December, our Transportation Master Plan will be completed in approximately 1,5 years.”
President Seçer answered the questions from the members of the Assembly
President Seçer answered the questions from the members of the Assembly and the evaluations on some issues before coming to the agenda. President Seçer, regarding the assessment of a member of the Assembly that environmental problems will occur due to the collapse in the mine around Musalı in Gözne, said, “The responsibility of the mine around Musalı in Gözne belongs to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. I think the Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization heard about the dent there yesterday. They could not detect in the evening; it is currently being detected there again today. I wanted to pass this information on here. It is not within our scope of duty, but of course, it is an issue that we should follow.
Upon the evaluations and demands of a member of the Assembly that there is a building irregularity in terms of pavement, walking path, intersections and pockets in the city center from the entrance of Erdemli to the exit on the right and left of the D-400, President Seçer said:
“The eastern entrance and western exit area of Erdemli on the D-400 road, that is, the area in the city center of Erdemli, is the responsibility of the Highways there, but we do the maintenance services in the refuges, this is a situation of our own accord. Not only there, but also from Adana entrance to Anamur exit; some district municipalities have already bought this for themselves; Anamur Municipality is one of them, but including the districts where this route passes; As Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, we carry out these maintenances. There is a project there, there doesn't seem to be a problem. We have information from the Highways that the construction has been completed until Arpaçbahşiş, and more to come. There is already construction work going on there. I hope it continues without a break. The overpass there; you also said; An overpass belonging to the Highways. The institution that will do the maintenance and the necessary work there is also the Highways.”
Stating that there are no rain water problems in Kızkalesi and that they have eliminated the main problems caused by rain water with the work carried out in 2020, President Seçer said, “The treatment has already been done before. We have not encountered such a problem so far, and we do not think we will. I know there is biological treatment there. There is sewerage there, it was built in the previous period, but now there is no serious problem, we are solving partial problems with our various productions. Let's do it, let's do it, but it has a feasibility, it has to have a rationality, otherwise every headman will work on new infrastructure for his own region, neighborhood, even every mayor, if possible, but this is money.
Stating that they are working on the rehabilitation of drinking water in Erdemli for 32 kilometers with a cost of 25 million lira, President Seçer said, “For the rehabilitation of sewerage, 21 kilometers is 40 million liras; a total of 65 million pounds. We have applied to İlbank for financing. We would be grateful if you could help us in this matter, then we can look at the situation differently, but you will appreciate that while there is no problem in the Kızkalesi scale at some point, it is not possible for us to allocate such money, but when there is a problem, we intervene and solve it immediately.” he said.
“Either the EU is keeping us busy, or Iller Bank is not doing its job quickly, or there is something else”
President Seçer stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made important evaluations about the migration problem in Turkey, especially the Syrian refugees, during the meeting with the ambassadors regarding the European Union, and continued as follows:
“He said, 'The European Union does not give us meaningful support on this issue. Especially in infrastructure works, we are going to solve some problems with our own efforts.' This is an important issue that concerns us as well. There is the Mezitli Drinking Water Project, we are completing your task in its 3rd year. From that day, we could not start 'it will end in 3 months, it will end in 3 months'. 17 million 150 thousand euros. Tömük Arpaçbahşiş Erdemli, even Mersin's biggest sewage problem is experienced there. There is massive immigration. 15 million Euros. We spent 13 million liras with our own means, we finished the drinking water problem of that place. More so in a short time. Our water source was Elvanlı. In addition, the project, which is the common sewerage project of Kazanlı, Homurlu and Toroslar districts for the Mediterranean district, costs 7 million 39 thousand Euros in total, worth 150 million Euros. We went 3, 4 months ago. So far, we have not received even 1 Euro money. Now here, Mr. President's assessment is an important assessment. I don't know who owns this problem. It's signed. Especially Mezitli Drinking Water Project has been completed for 3 years, today tomorrow, today tomorrow. Here, the coordinating institution is Iller Bank, the European Union providing the money. The European Union provides this through the French Development Agency through AFD. There is a consultancy firm between the French Development Agency and Iller Bank. The consultant firm asks for information from us, the information never ends, we can't get people to like it, the demands never end. In other words, there is something somewhere, either the European Union is keeping us busy, or Iller Bank is not doing its job quickly, or there is something else. I am saying this from here because I am thinking of Mersin, Mersin is having problems, Mersin bears the burden of 400 thousand Syrians. This fund is within the scope of FRIT II, that is, the European Union grant fund from the fund for refugees living in Turkey, but there is no progress.”
“We represent the will of 2 million Mersin residents here”
Responding to a member of the Assembly who made some evaluations about the legal process of Mersin Port, President Seçer used the following statements:
“The legal process continues. Of course we believe in the rule of law. We think that there is a strong legal system in Turkey and we believe wholeheartedly. There is the rule of law here, there is no law of superiors in Turkey. We believe in this wholeheartedly and we believe in the necessity of protecting this city more than anyone else. Because we represent the will of 2 million Mersin residents here. They sözcüwater I'm sure the people of Mersin also say the following; 'The Assembly has to protect Mersin.' As Atatürk said; 'Mersin people, take care of Mersin.' Ok so far. Ünzile Hanım is a lawyer. Republican People's Party group as a lawyer sözcüAs I believe here, apart from the Republican People's Party; There is the Peoples' Democratic Party, there is the Good Party, we have an independent Assembly member. He legally announced this expert report in a way that would translate their feelings. Why did I give an example here? Because we said earlier that we should take a parliamentary decision here. I attributed these statements of Ms. Ünzile to this group, thinking that you may think differently because the members of the People's Alliance do not think like us. Now, in your explanation that interests me legally, the party involved as an intervening party is doing the work that the Ministry of Environment, which we are the plaintiff, should do if it wants. However, there is a scientific report in the middle. The firm, I have also examined it, is done by paying money to the revolving fund of a university in this study. It analyzes the economic dimension of the event, its economic dimension.”
“For us, homeland and country are sacred concepts above all else”
President Seçer stated that they followed the process and said, “We are not in a position to sell or market Mersin for money or economy. No one should think that we can have such a thought. For us, homeland and country are sacred concepts above all else. Sacred concepts far beyond money, far beyond authority. Here, of course, we follow. The people of Mersin will follow. Everything must remain within the law,” he said. Reminding that Mersin port was privatized for 2007 years in 36, Seçer continued as follows:
“In this context, the government that ruled Turkey in 2007, within the scope of privatization, took 36 years of rent-based rent into the Republic of Turkey's coffers and consumed it. Think of it this way; You rented out your house for 10 years, 5 years have passed. You call the tenant. Why are you calling? You need money. Well, you took 10 years, you've exhausted it. Let's do this for 15 years. Give me that plus 5 years' rent again. Why would you do this as a host? What do you do when you need money? So how does your tenant accept this? If you give it on very attractive terms, he will accept it. Or it says; He says, 'I have 5 more years, let's see who dies in 5 years, who is left, Allah is good'. But here it is… If the lease period until 2043, I am evaluating Mersin port. This is a yellow law passed from a parliament in Turkey. I am not an MP. If I were there, I would speak yellow to Turkey. But this is the development about the port in my own city. In other words, the lease period until 2043 was extended in Mersin until 2056. So another 13 years. We do not know who will or will not live in those days, but the future of our children has been rented out. This is how I look at it and I would like to express that I am strongly against it. Yes, the first expert report was scientific, but I think filmic reports can also be prepared. Those who tell the people of Mersin to "watch this movie" are wrong. We don't watch movies or anything, but we follow the developments in Mersin closely.”
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