Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Assoc. Dr. Lütfü Savaş, a youtube As the live broadcast guest of his channel, he answered questions about Hatay as the anniversary of the February 6 earthquake approaches.
“WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE BIGGEST EARTHQUAKE IN TWO THOUSAND YEARS”
Providing information about the process by stating that the February 6 earthquake and the subsequent earthquake were of a very serious size, Mayor Savaş said, “We experienced the biggest earthquake of the last two thousand years. Hatay's Antakya and Defne districts are the districts most affected by the earthquake. Kahramanmaraş may have been the first place where the earthquake was triggered, but Hatay was affected the most. In the early days, we carried out the burial of the people who lost their lives in order to heal our wounds. We still have people living in tents and containers. There are mostly tents in the villages, and containers in the center. And we also have people waiting for containers. "There are more than 130 container cities," he said.
“WE WORKED DAY AND NIGHT, AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK”
Stating that there was a lot of migration to the districts after the earthquake, Savaş said, “Most of our people settled with their relatives or their own villages. The needs in rural areas have increased considerably. Especially in Altınözü, Yayladağı and Reyhanlı, the population increased two or three times. We are dealing not only with the destroyed areas but also with the infrastructure and many needs in the rural areas. We build infrastructure for many newly built houses. We are trying to bring sewer lines to new settlements. Our first 7 months passed at a great pace. "A very large part of our infrastructure suffered serious damage, and we worked day and night and continue to work," he said.
“OUR PRIORITY IS HOUSING AND SCHOOLS
Emphasizing that the priority problem in Hatay is housing and education (schools) and that these problems, together with workplaces, should be solved as soon as possible, Savaş said, “When these two factors, especially housing and schools, are solved, the vast majority of our people will return to their cities. "Our people who settled outside the city will return to Hatay when most of our schools are fully opened," he said.
Rönesans Stating that they are following the litigation process regarding the residence, Lütfü Savaş stated that there was information requested from them as the Metropolitan Municipality and they sent it, and reminded that many contractors are in prison.
War, Rönesans He emphasized once again that he had nothing to do with the license of the Residence and that the license was given by the Ekinci Municipality of the period and that he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives.
Savaş said, “Until 2013, chambers were carrying out building inspections. They were coming to us after their approval. This authority should not have been given to municipalities that do not have technical staff. "The regulation should have looked at whether the municipalities here have sufficient resources," he said.
Mayor Savaş stated that with the amended regulation, the government caused lack of control by causing construction permits to be issued by town municipalities with insufficient technical staff.
Stating that the magnitude of the earthquake was very large and emphasizing that serious changes should be made in the government's earthquake regulations, President Savaş said, "It was a very large earthquake with an acceleration three times greater than expected. Most of all, Antakya was caught by horizontal and vertical fluctuations. "There were ruins everywhere," he said.
He talked about the criticisms made after his war speech as follows:
“I am the Mayor of the Republican People's Party. I did not cause the earthquakes in other provinces. Municipalities issued their licenses in accordance with the earthquake regulations. The earthquake came with a very big wave. The regulation of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization was not suitable for the magnitude of this earthquake. This needs to be changed depending on the region so that there will be no more deaths in our country.
First, the regulation needs to be reviewed. I have been the metropolitan mayor for ten years. Not a single building, bridge or underpass we built collapsed. Let everyone be held accountable. Let me ask you too. Ask other provinces as well. Those who announced the zoning amnesty at rallies in the election atmosphere, saying they pardoned 205 thousand sections in Hatay, should also be prosecuted. "The regulation should be changed within the framework of earthquakes as soon as possible."
“THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO ACT MORE CORRECTLY REGARDING AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY”
Emphasizing that the Earthquake Regulation should be changed, Mayor Savaş said, “The government, the relevant ministry and building inspection everyone should be evaluated here. Authorization should be given to those who have sufficient technical personnel. Audit organization needs to be done well. Regulation should be tougher. Buildings built with these regulations are still at risk. If you include insurance companies along with the audits, there will be a smoother and stronger structuring. "What the government needs to do is to act more accurately regarding authority and responsibility," he said.
BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE HOSPITAL BUILT BY TOKI IN HATAY BY THE GOVERNMENT, WERE ALSO DEMOLISHED.
Savaş said that the buildings built by TOKİ by the government were also heavily damaged or destroyed and said, “The new building of the Police Department was demolished. The public hospital they built in the plain in 2013 was severely damaged and people lost their lives there. The gendarmerie and governor's building were also destroyed. If it is my fault, I will be judged, including me. Municipalities do not carry out inspections. If the project is suitable, it gives compliance. Building inspection companies check. "The government should eliminate the granting of authority to people who are not really supervisory staff," he said.
"WE WILL WIN THE ELECTION"
Evaluating the election process in Hatay, Savaş said, “The historic decision was made and given to the person who will win. Thank God, our people trust me and I trust the people of Hatay, we have achieved this over the years. The most profitable capital is trust. We won the last election by more than 110 thousand votes. Despite the people coming to our city from abroad, we won the election despite 13 thousand Syrian votes. I am a person who gets votes from all sides. "We will win the election," he said.
“I AM AT EVERY POINT OF HATAY”
Speaking about the election surveys held in Hatay, Savaş said, “I came first in the surveys among the candidates. We have a rural development project. I've been to every corner of Hatay. We will go head to head with the government in rural areas. We will win the election comfortably. There were great traumas with the pandemic, fire and earthquake. There was no one there for the first three days of the earthquake. 166 of our personnel lost their lives. I was here for 56 days and we organized an organization by setting up a headquarters for those in need. "We saved more than 3 people in the first three days." he said.
Stating that the people of Hatay are very strong and believe that they will get through the process together with the spirit of solidarity, Savaş said, “Our people are in love with their city. The one who could even hold on to a pebble did not give up and struggled. It is a great gain for Hatay that our tradesmen here hold on to life and start trading. "We will continue to protect our city, which Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk protected," he said.
