Karşıyaka Neighborhood, located in Gaziantep Şehitkamil district, was included in the scope of the urban transformation project by the district municipality, and most of the houses in the neighborhood were demolished. However, the citizens who have lived in their deeded houses in that neighborhood for years were not considered worthy the "ultra-luxury residences" to be built instead of their demolished houses. Neighborhood residents, who had to move to Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ)'s in remote areas, became indebted to TOKİ with payments of 5-10 years. So to speak, the grievances caused by the urban transformation policies that have turned the country into a construction site are endless. The last example of this happened in Gaziantep Şehitkamil. While the title deeds of the residents living in the area included in the scope of urban transformation were expropriated at prices far below their values, they were also removed from their neighborhoods. Although it is said that the citizens will never be victimized by saying 'Urban Transformation on Site', the neighborhood residents were excluded in the new zoning plan to be made.
THE MUNICIPALITY HAS FOLLOWED BACKSIDE WAY OF THE LAW
The residents of the neighborhood who were aggrieved by the Karşıyaka-İpekyolu Urban Transformation Project launched by Şehitkamil Mayor Ridvan Fadıloğlu, on the other hand, told our newspaper about their grievances. Stating that they took the project to the court and the judiciary decided to stop the project, neighborhood resident and lawyer Kemal Vuraldoğan said, “After the suspension decision, the municipality followed backside way of the law. Saying that our houses are at risk of earthquakes, decision is taken to demolish them. Thereupon, the applications for the strengthening of the houses were also postponed, blocked and ignored.”
WE WANT JUSTICE
Hasan Bodur, who has been protesting in front of the Regional Administrative Court for 220 days, by expressing his grievances, “We want to live in our own neighborhood. Our childhood and youth passed in this neighborhood. But now they are driving us out of our deeded houses. They reproach us to the luxury houses that will be built instead of our houses. While dozens of neighborhood residents were homeowners, they are now either tenants or in debt to TOKİ because of this project. We want justice,” he said.
THE MOSQUE BUILT WITH DONATIONS ALSO DESTROYED
The debates within the scope of urban transformation were not limited to these. The Lalezar Mosque, which was built with the donations of the residents of the neighborhood and which has been realized by the people of the neighborhood for many years, was also demolished as part of the project. The superstructure cost of the demolished mosque was paid to the Religious Affairs (Diyanet), and the superstructure cost to be paid for the mosque and social facility to be built later, again with the decision of the donors, was not paid by the municipality. Bulldozers passed over the donations made for the mosque.