The fixed traffic radar system has not functioned since the beginning of 2023, causing a loss of up to 300 million Turkish Lira in revenue for the public finances Sami Özuslu, a member of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), said, Yeniduzen reported.
In a statement on his personal social media account, Özuslu highlighted the latest developments regarding the fixed traffic radars, a topic he has been addressing for nearly a year.
Özuslu criticised Prime Minister Erhan Arıklı for halting the distribution of radar fines, citing the reason that the finance department did not provide funds, which he said has put a significant burden on public finances. He also emphasised that due to uncertainties in the tender process, the distribution of fines still hasn’t begun.
He reminded everyone that he had filed a criminal complaint with the Court of Accounts and noted that although Arıklı stated in May that the radar fines would start being distributed by mid-June, this still hasn’t happened while the end of August approaches.
Özuslu mentioned that the Competition Authority had cancelled the tender and warned that the shutdown of the fixed radar system poses a serious risk to traffic safety.
He also pointed out that with the radar system out of service, the staff at Traffic Park have been left in limbo, and the park, which educates children on traffic safety, has been shut down. Özuslu expressed concern that around 300 million TL in fines, which should have gone into public finances, has not been collected, and criticised Arıklı’s attempts to involve other companies while ignoring existing contracts, as well as Finance Minister Özdemir Berova’s silence on the matter. He suggested that the fines should be distributed in cooperation with municipalities and accused the government of not considering the public’s interests.
Finally, Özuslu said he is eagerly awaiting the Court of Accounts’ report and vowed not to drop the issue of the radar system crisis.
In July, Kibris Postasi reported that Finance Minister Özdemir Berova responded to claims that borrowing has been necessary for salary payments. He confirmed that a 6.65 billion TL deficit is projected for the 2024 budget, but expressed hope to end the year with much less borrowing.
Last week, Kibris Postasi reported that Nevzat Özkunt, the Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party (TDP), had called on Finance Minister Özdemir Berova to take action to maintain budget discipline.
In a written statement on behalf of the TDP, Özkunt referred to Berova’s recent remarks where he talked about “budget discipline” and “opportunists in the market causing high living costs,” and mentioned that “new regulations will be introduced to address the rising cost of living.”
Özkunt acknowledged that it’s a positive step for the Finance Minister to recognize these “opportunists” in the market. He stressed that the government should use its legal authority to expose these opportunists and take necessary actions against them.
He described this situation, which he referred to as “exploitation,” as something the government has the power to prevent, and urged the government to take action. To this end, Özkunt summarised his recommendations as follows:
“Stop hiring temporary workers. Halt the employment of those hired in the past. When adjusting for the cost of living, legally limit the increase in salaries for high-ranking public officials and members of parliament in the 18 A-B and 19 pay grades. Implement effective cost-saving measures in the public sector. Close down overseas missions that serve no functional purpose in representing our country”.
