Soma locals on duty against cutting olive groves

MANİSA – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

Villagers in the Aegean district of Soma are keeping guard at their olive groves following a code that has opened such fields to the construction of power plants.

They also declared their opposition to a third coal-burning plant in the region, which may also devastate the groves in the surrounding area.

Thousands of square meters of land where the olive groves are located have been opened to construction for the Soma Kolin Thermal Power Plant in a recent Cabinet decision. After this, the villagers decided to stand on duty in the groves, following the cutting down of a number of olive trees in a midnight operation conducted by the authorities.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace has given its support to the locals of Soma in their fight against the power plants.

Several Greenpeace activists visited the locals in Soma's Yırca neighborhood.

Locals in the Yırca neighborhood have filed a lawsuit against the third power plant planned in the region, but despite the ongoing case, the company that owns the prospective plant, Kolin Holding, surrounded the olive groves with fences.

One local villager from Yırca, Mustafa Akın, vowed to remain in the olive groves until the company leaves the area.

“The villagers will stay here and protect their land until the urgent expropriation decision is withdrawn and the court cases against the thermal plants are concluded. These lands belong to us. We are thankful to the Rainbow Warrior crew for their support. We expect the support of all of the institutions that work on agriculture. We demand the withdrawal of the urgent expropriation decision and the cancellation of the plans for a thermal power plant here,” said Akın.