Parliament hands Istanbul’s lucrative ‘Finance Center’ project to AKP-run district
The Turkish Parliament approved Sept. 9 a new legal arrangement redrawing the boundaries of two Asian-side districts as part of a new omnibus bill.
The law effectively transfers the Barbaros neighborhood, where the lucrative âFinance Centerâ project is being built, from the AtaÅehir Municipality, which is in the hands of the main opposition Republican Peopleâs Party (CHP), to the ruling Justice and Development Party-run (AKP) Ãmraniye.
Government officials have argued that they intended to define the limits between the two municipalities according to two highways crossing them.
However, the opposition has suggested that the change was made after a demand from the contractor company, AÄaoÄlu Ä°nÅaat, whose owner, Ali AÄaoÄlu, is known for his closeness to the government.
Litigation began when residents of a neighboring housing complex filed a complaint after AÄaoÄlu Ä°nÅaat used explosives on the construction site.
The Istanbul Governorâs Office said the complaint should be conveyed to the municipality of AtaÅehir, but the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality told them that the relevant municipality was Ãmraniye. In the meantime, the company continued to use explosives, arguing that the task was being conducted by a specialist firm and monitored by a university.
Environment and Urban Planning Minister Ä°dris Güllüce said the new arrangement was not "changing" the boundaries, but "defining" them. âWe have only re-described the limits,â Güllüce said.
âTrillionsâ worth of profitâ
However, opposition lawmakers were not of the same opinion. Peoplesâ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Hasip Kaplan claimed the move would provide trillions of lirasâ worth of...
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