The People's Alliance Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) mayoral candidate Murat Kurum was the guest on A Haber's special local election broadcast. Responding to questions from journalists, Kurum also revealed details about the major projects planned for Istanbul.
CHURCH ARMED ATTACK
"I condemn and curse the attack on the church. I met with the priest and conveyed our get-well wishes. Istanbul is a city that has hosted many civilizations."
"ISTANBUL HAS MANY PROBLEMS"
"Istanbul has many problems. The people of Istanbul are not very happy living here. Traffic chaos, earthquake concerns, lack of green areas, injustice in social assistance... The citizens are quite uncomfortable. Our findings clearly state the problems of Istanbul. By conducting our research, we prioritized our projects."
180 THOUSAND HOUSING UNITS IN 3 MONTHS
"As promised, we will provide homes to our citizens. We have started the construction of 180 thousand housing units in three months. We worked with a sense of brotherhood in every part of the disaster area."
"ISTANBUL WILL BE OUR AGENDA"
"Our agenda will focus on the issues of Istanbul. We will always be on the streets, by the side of our people. Istanbul is so rich; just manage those resources correctly. Just work with the right teams with the goal of serving Istanbul."
"We will double our budget. The cost of the projects we announced in 10 headings is 56 billion dollars. New investments and new resources will come with our own income. We will establish a self-generating approach."
"WE WILL REINSTATE LAID-OFF EMPLOYEES"
"Today, the number of personnel is 92,176; they laid off 33,725 people. We will rehire all the personnel they laid off. We will not unjustly dismiss anyone, as they did."
URBAN TRANSFORMATION IN ISTANBUL
"In 5 years, 300 thousand housing units will be transformed, totaling 650 thousand units. We will provide 700 thousand TL grant, 700 thousand TL credit, and 100 thousand TL relocation aid. The houses will be delivered in 18 months. Urban transformation will be based on scientific principles."
100 THOUSAND SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECTS
"In addition to these, there is another project we consider very important: 100 thousand social housing units. These houses will not be sold; we will build social housing units that will be rented and sufficient for 39 districts. We will provide them to citizens who want to stay until their homes, subject to urban transformation, are completed but cannot find a place or lack the means. You can think of these as 'storage housing.' Our citizens will stay for 18 months and then move to their newly built homes. We will start all these projects on April 1. Along with these housing units, rental prices will decrease. You must consider the supply-demand balance."
2 NEW EMERGENCY HOSPITALS
"Two new emergency hospitals will be established in Istanbul. We will take measures with 9 new disaster intervention centers."
METRO AND MARITIME TRANSPORT WILL DOUBLE
"We will double the metro line and maritime transport in the first 5 years. By 2034, we will have 1004 kilometers of metro lines. The rail system will increase from 328 kilometers to 650 kilometers. We will build a metro in Sultangazi within 5 years."
GOOD NEWS FOR YOUTH!
"A 100 thousand TL grant for young entrepreneurs, special water tariffs for students, 50 thousand TL white goods support for newlyweds, an annual 10 thousand TL scholarship for each student, 40% discount on public transportation, and half of the students going to their hometown from us."
SUPPORT OF 2,500 TL FOR RETIREES
"We will provide monthly support payments of 2,500 TL to needy retirees through Istanbul cards. We have 3 million retirees, and we will determine those in need."
