Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Vahap Seçer visited the area where the work was being carried out at the '3 Ocak Kent Meydani Station', which is the first stop of Mersin Metro, and made inspections. Evaluating the picture of the disruptions experienced in the construction process of Mersin Metro, which reflected on the city and the citizens, Mayor Seçer said, “When we made this tender, Euro was 9 TL, now Euro 18 TL-20 TL. Calculate the damage suffered by the people of Mersin and Mersin,” he said.
Stating that the works at the first station cost 200 million TL and that the Metropolitan Municipality covers this cost with its own resources, Mayor Seçer said, “With the enthusiasm, determination and belief of the first day; Whatever we promised to our people, we will continue our work without exaggeration, without telling lies or wrong.”
Expressing that Mersin Metropolitan Municipality's budget for this year is 6.3 billion liras, together with the additional budget, and that this budget will reach 10 billion liras next year, Mayor Seçer commented that the problems they encountered during the metro construction process were political. President Seçer said, “We do not undertake anything we cannot do to the people of Mersin. We will do this too, with God's permission," he said.
Mersin Metro map
Stating that the necessary signature should be signed in order for the works to be carried out faster, President Seçer said, “We hope that the signature will be signed. Assuming that it will not come out, we will continue our work within the framework of our own budget. "It will be a little slow, but after the election, the climate will definitely change, it will be the Mediterranean," he said.
“A project that requires long-term loans on favorable terms for municipalities with a budget at the scale of Mersin”
President Seçer, who shared basic information about the Mersin Metro route and then reminded the date of January 3, when the foundation of the metro was laid, said, “We have been working for a very long time. Projects were written and drawn. Necessary permissions have been obtained. Studies have been done. He went to the Ministry, went to the General Directorate of Infrastructure. Everyone signed. The President signed it, included it in the investment program and included it in the strategic plan. So there is no problem. This project is approved by the central government, and the local government says 'I will do it'. We said 'Bismillah' and went out to tender. Bidding is over. Of course, this requires financing. These types of investments are big investments. For a municipality with a Mersin scale budget; It is a project that requires long-term loans on favorable terms.”
“The municipality currently has a clean financial picture and financial discipline”
Noting that they received a borrowing authority of approximately 900 million liras from the parliament at the first stage, and that money was stamped within a year, President Seçer said, “We decided to start with a borrowing authority of 1 million liras, let's take a path. It has been exactly 900 year and 1 month since he received this borrowing authority from the Parliament. This will go to the Presidential Strategy and Budget Department. It will get positive or negative opinion from there, then it will go to the Treasury. The Treasury will either sign it or not. Now, the Presidential Strategy and Budget Department has nothing to say 'negative'. Because they have already taken it into the investment program. There is no reason why the Ministry of Finance will not sign it. Why not? When we came to the administration, this municipality had a slow financial system. Except for its subsidiaries, the municipality had a debt of 1 billion 2 million liras. It had a budget of 250 billion 2 million liras. At that time, the dollar rate was 250 TL. In other words, we took over a municipality with a debt of approximately 5.7 million dollars. Currently, the budget of this municipality, together with the additional budget, is 400 billion liras for this year. It will reach 6.3 billion liras next year. The current debt of this municipality has also decreased to 10 million dollars. In other words, the municipality's debt on TL basis is 80 billion liras. In other words, the municipality's financial table is clean and it has financial discipline. Why don't you sign this? Because he is looking at the event politically," he said.
“While we are paying off the debts on the one hand, we are producing new services on the other hand”
Recalling his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on this issue, President Seçer said, “I personally explained this matter to him. I explained the conditions and conditions of Mersin, in a language suitable for him, that this should not be delayed, on a subject that he included in his investment program and included in the strategic plan. But so far there has been no development. Now we cannot use financing. On the other hand, we continue to pay the debt left by the old period for 3,5 years. In addition, the municipality; it fights flies, takes care of parks and gardens, implements social policies, supports education, supports children, supports women. It opens boulevards of unprecedented quality in the history of the Republic, builds roads, builds group roads, makes surface coatings, makes hot asphalt. He does all this only with the money allocated to him from the central budget, and he said.
“We have done 200 million liras worth of work for this station from our own resources”
Emphasizing that Mersin Metropolitan Municipality is a strong municipality, Mayor Seçer said, “We laid the foundation of the metro. We do not commit to the people of Mersin anything we cannot do. We will do this too, by the grace of God. Right now, here is the first station, and we had to finish at least 4 stations. Look at the damage done to Mersin by the obstacle ahead. When we made this tender, Euro was 9 TL, now Euro 18 is 20 TL. Calculate the damage suffered by the people of Mersin and Mersin. I am working hard. I account for every penny I receive. I spend every penny I get rationally. I don't waste, I don't steal, I don't steal, I realize these projects. Currently, the cost of the work done here, at the station we are on, is approximately 200 million TL deserved and Mersin Metropolitan Municipality pays them with its own resources.
“We will continue our work within the framework of our own budget”
President Seçer, who added that if these signatures were signed during the period of favorable financial conditions, the economic sense would have been easier, said, “Assuming that this signature - we hope - will not come out until the general elections, we will continue our work within the framework of our own budget. We will do it without interrupting our other works, although it will be a little slow. After the election, the climate will definitely change, it will be the Mediterranean. Conditions will be different. We will also sit down, take our account and book in front of us again. Hopefully then the financial markets will improve as well. Because now your credibility is low in the foreign market, they ask you for usurer interest in case you borrow. Obviously, with this financial burden, it has become a bit difficult to use these funds. I wish it had been signed at the time. While there was an annual interest rate opportunity of 4% at that time, now financial institutions do not give money even to 10% or 12%. Why? Because; There is political instability in Turkey, there is economic instability, there is a period of depression, there is an economic crisis and we are making these investments in a country with a very high risk score. This is the table. I want the people of Mersin to know this with all clarity. But let them trust me, trust my colleagues. Whatever we promised our people with the enthusiasm, determination and faith of the first day; We will continue our work without exaggerating and telling lies and wrongs," he said.
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