Wednesday, 6 April 2022
The municipalities of Esentepe and Serdarlı have joined in the “indefinite sit-in protest” initiated by Yeniboğaziçi and Dikmen municipalities, which are slated to be merged by legislation aimed at making municipalities more efficient, Yeniduzen reported.
Workers employed by municipalities that are planned to be merged by the government’s ‘Municipalities reform’, gathered in front of parliament. Yeni Erenköy and Dipkarpaz Municipalities will also support the action.
Activists consisting of municipal employees and locals gathered in front of parliament, stated that they would close the Gönyeli and Hamitköy roundabouts to traffic.
There was tension as some protestors attempted to break into the Assembly grounds via the garden entrance. Police fought back protesters.
Although reform of municipalities is said to be long overdue, EMU Law Faculty Lecturer Assist. Assoc. Can Azer said that existing problems would not be solved by merely cutting down the number of municipalities but rather how each municipality was organised. He said that hasty mergers of municipalities would only produce unwieldy and inefficient organisations. Although it is not a legal obligation, the public who use these services should be consulted first, he said.