CHP's Istanbul mayoral candidate promises 'reasonable' not 'crazy projects'

ISTANBUL

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul Mayor candidate Mustafa Sarıgül, the current Mayor of Şişli, announces 28 of his 200 projects. AA Photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Istanbul Mayoral candidate Mustafa Sarıgül has revealed his future projects for the city during a press conference, promising locals to come up with reasonable ideas rather than “crazy ones.”

Sarıgül announced 28 of 200 projects, which are set to be carried out during the five-year term of his mayorship, suggesting solutions for Istanbul’s problems and offering new ideas for transportation, energy sources, green areas, social and cultural life in the city.

They would not cause problems in the city but solve the problems, Sarıgül said, adding that the rights of the people would be protected in urban transformation projects.

Sarıgül announced two big dam projects for the two sides of the city, promising they would preserve the northern forests, fresh-water basins and cultivated areas.

He also touched on Istanbul’s “biggest problem,” the transportation, saying they would refresh up the main city plans and focus on increasing public transportation, especially railed systems.

Istanbul would use renewable energy that the metropolitan municipality would produce itself, Sarıgül said.

Green spaces in all districts would be expanded, Sarıgül said, promising two city parks would be built on the European and Asian sides of the city. He also suggested that bicycle roads would be increased across the city.

Sarıgül promised to complete the construction and renovation works for the Atatürk Culture Center (AKM) in Taksim Square as fast as possible.

Sarıgül presented other projects for a congress center and renovation of historical squares, saying the number of tourists visiting the city would increase from 10 million to 25 million.

He underlined that the projects were only ideas for now and that design competitions would be held when the time came to take concrete steps with contributions and participation from the public.

Sarıgül said governing a city for more than 10 years was wrong, hinting that the time had come to change the city’s mayor, thanking Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş for what he had done so far.