The money of the Antalya 2nd Stage Rail System by the Ministry was cut from the Municipality

CHP Antalya Deputy Cavit Arı said that the money of the Antalya Second Stage (Meydan-Airport-Expo 2016 Area Line) Rail System, which was built by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure due to "EXPO 2016 Antalya", started to be cut from the budget of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.

According to the news of İsmail AKIN from SÖZCÜ; “The Antalya Second Stage (Meydan-Airport-Expo 2016 Area Line), which was built by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure during the period of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality AKP member Menderes Türel, due to the“ EXPO 2016 Antalya ”, cut the money from the budget of the municipality caused reactions.

Stating that the issue is a really important and supra-political issue for Antalya, CHP Antalya MP Cavit Arı said:

• The money that Antalya Metropolitan Municipality will have to pay means that the service Antalya needs is missing. It would mean taking the future of our Antalya and our children under mortgage in this sense. For this reason, the issue can be resolved without political prejudices and with the support of all parties, especially the ruling party AKP, and all the urban dynamics, without discrimination.

"THE MUNICIPALITY IS INSERTED UNDER AN IMPORTANT LIABILITY"

Underlining that the Second Stage Rail system line was built due to EXPO 2016, Arı used the following statements:

• EXPO, after the Olympics and World Cup and is considered the largest organization in Turkey for the first time in 160 years of Expo history düzenlendi.b in scope; In accordance with subparagraph "c" of paragraph 15 of Article 2015 titled 'Undertaking the Project' of the Council of Ministers Decree dated 7272 February 6 and numbered 3, taking over Antalya Metropolitan Municipality's Meydan-Airport-Expo Rail System Line by the Ministry of Transport, It was decided to repay it by means of a 15 percent share to be purchased.
• Under these conditions, the rail system was built in 2016. The project tender price is 260 million TL. After the work was completed, within the scope of the payment condition specified in the transfer phase of the project, for example, 2019 thousand TL in February, 15 thousand TL in March, and 35 thousand TL in April, equivalent to 37 percent of the revenues obtained in 42, were paid back to the Treasury. However, with the Presidency decision dated 01.05.2019 and numbered 1014, it was decided to 'recover the project cost value and pay it back by deducting 5 percent from the shares to be allocated from the general budget tax revenues of the relevant municipality.

"THE MUNICIPALITY IS INSERTED UNDER AN IMPORTANT LIABILITY"

Upon the decision, Arı stated that the Ministry of Transport demanded 145 million TL as the remaining amount by deducting 379 TL million cost difference from Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and continued as follows:

• In this new situation, an annual average of 4 million TL is deducted from the budget of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality with an average of 50 million TL each month. In other words, the conditions have been changed extraordinarily at once. The municipality has been placed under an important liability. The Minister of Transport, Adil Karaismailoğlu, stated that the 2021 km line was built by the Ministry in the 19,1 Budget presentation booklet at the TBMM Plan and Budget Committee, and verbally expressed it both in the commission and in the speech of the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly the day before.
• The money for this should not be requested from the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. If it is desired, it should be requested according to the legal conditions during the construction phase. Here we come across an unfair practice. Antalya Metropolitan Municipality is obliged to pay a very large debt in a short time. This will disrupt all the services of the Municipality. The services that the people of Antalya expect and need cannot be delivered.
• The allowances to be spent by the municipality on its service to the city, its rural service, road, drinking and irrigation water are cut from the source in this way. Such an application means that the future of the people of Antalya and our children are under mortgage. It means the services are not available.

"WILL NOT BE DONE WITHOUT EXPO"

Arı stated that the subject is an Antalya issue and that it is an issue above politics:

• For this reason, everyone should own this problem and ask for this application to be abandoned on behalf of Antalya. On behalf of Antalya, we demand that the payment for this line, which would not have been done without EXPO, be abandoned in this way. We also expect Antalya's two Ministers to protect this issue.
• We also address to the AKP Provincial Chair and Deputies here and remind them that they should make efforts to resolve this issue. Otherwise, the AKP will be politically responsible for all damages caused by this unfair practice in Antalya. I invite all city dynamics of Antalya, non-governmental organizations and all parties of our Antalya to take a stand in this struggle ”.