[ad_1]
The Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), Ekrem İmamoğlu, was the guest of the program “Alarm Clock”, broadcast live on Fox TV and hosted by İsmail Küçükkaya. İmamoğlu made important statements about the coronavirus measures and new IMM projects.
STAND 2 MILLION PASSENGERS
Speaking about the standing passenger restriction imposed by the Interior Ministry on public transport within the scope of the recently discussed pandemic measures, İmamoğlu said:
* The ban decision means ‘we won’t take you’ to 2 million passengers. It was said that it is forbidden to stand on public transport. We began a consultation with our government as of yesterday.
* Forbidden from me, this is not a solution with your logic. All the inhabitants of Istanbul have to sit down and find a solution. The Istanbul solution should not come from Ankara, ”he said.
* Regarding the density of subways, İmamoğlu said: “The number of seats in the metrobus is already low, the number of standing passengers is high. Based on this decision, we cannot transport thousands of passengers. We do not have the opportunity to put an additional bus there.
“IT HAS TO BE A SPECIAL SOLUTION FOR ISTANBUL”
Stating that they will bring special solutions for Istanbul next week, İmamoğlu continued his words as follows:
* The most important solution to the problem of public transportation is working overtime. For example, metropolitan municipality; It will start at 6 o’clock and end at 3 o’clock. So we will plan different schedules.
* Currently, we have formed a delegation on both the government side and the metropolitan side. Because Istanbul has to have a special solution for itself. Here the arrangement is studied, a decision is made, it is sent to Ankara and no one in charge explains it.
PANDEMIC PERIOD SERVICES
Stating that they reached 1 million 200 thousand people during the period of the pandemic, İmamoğlu said:
* The number of people benefited by the ‘Food Support Package’ reached 600 thousand. We were already supporting 280 thousand families. We distributed canned roasts to 130 thousand families from the sacrifices of the last Eid al-Adha.
* We will receive new semester registrations for educational support to 30 thousand students. The number of invoices paid in the ‘pending invoice’ application exceeded 180 thousand. During the period of the pandemic, all the municipalities, despite all the impossibilities, did a very nice and serious job.
* We only had 2 billion lira in direct additional expenses. We will have spent this year with almost 6 billion lire of lost income.
* Have you heard of something called a municipal support package? You cannot see a country anywhere in the world where central governments do not support municipalities.
HIZRAY FROM HALKALI TO SABİHA GÖKÇEN
When announcing IMM’s new transportation project for the first time, İmamoğlu said that they are working on the “Hızray” project between Halkalı and Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
Saying that “we are doing a project with 11 stations from Halkalı to Sabiha Gökçen”, İmamoğlu shared the following information:
* Low number of stops increases speed. In this way, we can go from Sabiha Gökçen to Halkalı in 55 minutes. There is also a station layout that includes many vertical subway lines.
* This project will allow very quick access to Istanbul from the other side. Our objetive; to bring this project to a position that allows it to obtain the permits of parliament and various authorized boards in the first six months of 2021.
* A project with an approximate cost of 5 billion dollars. It lasts for four years. We will be able to cost this project in the most ethical way of the ‘build-operate-transfer’ model. We also have talks. We want to make this project viable in the sixth month of 2021.
“SEA TAXI WILL START OPERATION IN 2021”
Speaking about the new taxi and sea taxi arrangement, İmamoğlu said:
* In 2021, we will seriously mobilize the sea taxi in Istanbul. We have to actively use the sea. We have studies to integrate the maritime and rail systems.
* There are 6 thousand taxis that we brought. 750 out of 1000 of these will be delivered to minibus lines that have no passengers. 250 of them will be delivered to minibus lines without passengers.
* The remaining 5,000 will be the new taxi. IMM will run this. There will be quality and institutionalization in the taxi. It will also make taxi drivers comfortable. There will be no problem with salary, security, SGK or some personal responsibilities.
* We will take the 3-5 license plate market and turn it into an Istanbul regulated service area. We are committed to this. 96 percent of society wants this taxi.
Imamoglu also said that at the UKOME meeting in September, the travel documents that are entitled to tourist vehicles will be handed out and the registration restrictions of service providers will be discussed.
OCCUPANCY RATE IN DAMS
Stating that the dams currently have an occupancy rate of nearly 50 percent, İmamoğlu said:
* The occupation of the dams in Istanbul decreased to 14 percent in 2014. Our most important dam is Ömerli, Darlık; the rates here are quite high. So we have no problem for this year.
* However, Istanbul is experiencing a drought. Rain rates in Istanbul fell to 30 percent during the summer period.
* Why are we fighting with Kanal Istanbul? It is destroying Istanbul’s water resources in that region. You are destroying Marmara. Therefore, Istanbul needs to protect its water.
[ad_2]
