IMM to Focus on Metro Projects in 2021

IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu, presented the “Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Budget for 2021” at the Assembly session. Stating that there are difficult days globally due to the pandemic process, İmamoğlu said, "Despite all this, as a result of our effective financial management decisions, in the light of today's data, I can say that we have achieved almost a balanced budget success in 2020."

Emphasizing that the most challenging factor in the 2020 table is the financial debts of 5,8 billion TL and over 2 billion Euros imposed by the previous administration to IMM, İmamoğlu said, “ The additional debt burden placed on 2020 million Istanbul residents due to its increase to 6,6 lira is 9,1 billion Turkish Liras ”. İmamoğlu emphasized that this figure corresponds to the total salaries of all IMM staff for about 16 years. Emphasizing that they prepared the budget for 5,4 by taking into account the expectations and demands of Istanbulites, İmamoğlu said, “We planned our total budget revenues as 3,5 billion TL and our budget expenditures as 2021 billion TL. We will have a deficit of 25,5 billion liras. We reduced this deficit to 28,9 billion liras in the 3,4 budget. We foresee this figure as 2020 billion liras in the 4,6 budget. We paid 2021 billion lira loan debt in the first 3,4 months of 2020. On the part of our affiliates, our total budget in 10 will be 3,9 billion lira, and the total participation profits we anticipate will be 2021 billion lira. Thus, our total budget will reach 31 billion liras ”. Saying that “one third of the expenditure budget that we foresee to be 2 billion TL in 75,5 is the investment budget”, İmamoğlu underlined that they will make a net investment of around TL 2021 billion next year. İmamoğlu emphasized that the consolidated investment budget of the institution will reach a total of 28,9 billion TL, of which 11,1 billion TL to İSKİ, 3,9 billion TL to IETT and 1,6 billion TL to subsidiaries.

İmamoğlu said that exactly one-third of the expenditure budget, which we foresee to be 2021 billion liras in 28,9, is the investment budget ”and underlined that they will make a net investment of around 11,1 billion liras next year. İmamoğlu said, “6,5 billion TL of this amount is reserved for transportation, 2,3 billion TL for environmental investments, 1,2 billion TL for disaster management and urban transformation, and 1 billion TL for health and social services and cultural activities. In addition to the 11,1 billion lira investment planned for IMM; The total of our consolidated investments will reach 3,9 billion Turkish lira, with 1,6 billion lira ISKI, 1,3 billion lira IETT and 18 billion lira affiliate companies ”.

Stating that they shaped the 2021 budget based on the demands and expectations of Istanbulites, İmamoğlu shared the following information:

• For 10 of the 6 lines that have stopped due to lack of funds, we will continue to give priority to this issue, just as we found funds in 2020 and provided direct jobs to approximately 4.000 people.
• With the 8 different employment offices we opened, we have provided employment for an additional 10 thousand 400 Istanbul residents.
• With the Rumeli Hisarüstü-Aşiyan Funicular, we will complete and put into service our 11,9 rail system line of 3 km in total, including the İkitelli-Bahariye partial metro line and the Cibali-Alibeyköy partial tramway.
• In 2022, we will put 32,8 rail systems with a total length of 4 km into service.
• We will complete the preliminary project and feasibility studies of the Hızray and İncirli - Sefaköy - Beylikdüzü metro line, which are still undergoing design studies, and we will start the tender process.
• In addition to the 2 tunnel excavations we completed after taking office, we succeeded in excavating 6 new tunnels and we will complete them in the coming period.
• We have provided loans for 2 vehicle manufacturing in 144 different contracts to be used in rail systems. Production of 120 vehicles has been completed, production of 24 vehicles continues. Our loan negotiations continue for the purchase of 572 vehicles in total with two separate contracts.
• We will buy 300 new buses and put them into service as soon as possible so that Istanbulites can travel more efficiently during the Covid process.

"OUR PRIORITY IS TO DEVELOP A LOCAL DEMOCRACY MODEL EXAMPLE TO THE WORLD"

Saying that “Developing an exemplary local democracy model for the world is another priority,” İmamoğlu also explained the decisions they made at their common mind table:

• With the moderation of the Istanbul Planning Agency, which we have just established, we opened architectural competitions for 18 urban spaces. As a result, 72 local and 48 foreign projects were decided through a democratic election process, in which more than 352 thousand citizens of Istanbul voted.
• Mainly Taksim Square, Bakırköy Cumhuriyet Square, Salacak, Üsküdar and Kadıköy The final projects, including its squares, were selected. As of 2021, we are starting the process where we will bring squares suitable for Istanbul's historical identity and personality.
• In the same context, we will be the first municipality in our country to implement Participatory Budget Implementation in 2021, similar to what we did during the strategic plan preparations last year. For this purpose, we will initiate calls from June.
• In addition, we will speed up projects in the field of earthquake preparedness and especially urban transformation. We will mobilize all our efforts to implement the Istanbul Earthquake Council, where our government, ministries, municipality and experts will work together on earthquake preparedness, and equip this council to take fully authoritative decisions, independent of politics.
• With the "IMM Financing and Guarantee System", which we will soon announce for urban transformation needs, we will support Istanbul to get rid of the risky building stock in a guaranteed and fast way.
• We will bring back the proposals we have prepared for the inclusion of the penthouses in the system, in a context that will prevent the loss of rights gained in urban transformation projects and facilitate the financing of the projects.
• We will seek fair and fast solutions in urban transformation projects by means of BİMTAŞ and KİPTAŞ.
• In Istanbul, we will develop sustainable relationships with creative industries and launch new and powerful initiatives to transform our city into an innovation center.
• Despite Covid, we will make significant strides in culture, arts and sports investments and events.