The Expert Report prepared in the case filed against the giant project planned to be built in Menemen Doğa District by the TOKİ presidency of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, revealed the destruction and unlawfulness in the area. Announcing that the Izmir 5th Administrative Court decided to suspend the execution, TMMOB and Izmir Bar Association issued harsh warnings to the authorities in their joint statement.
"CONCRETE IS BEING POURED ON OUR HISTORY"
In the press release made in Doğaköy, it was pointed out that the project area is adjacent to the Ancient City of Neonteikhos, which is a 1st Degree Archaeological Site, and said, "Adjacent to the project area is the Ancient City of Neonteikhos, which is a 1st Degree Archaeological Site. The expert committee has clearly determined that the excavation and construction works that started in the area have already destroyed the cultural assets and disrupted the integrity of the site. Concrete is being poured on our history without obtaining permission from the relevant conservation boards."
"THE LIFE SAFETY OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED"
In the text, which mentions that ground studies based on the development plan have not been carried out and that the region is located on the active fault line, it is stated that "Although the project area is located on the Menemen Fault Zone, the ground investigation based on the development plan has not been carried out. In this project planned on high slopes and stream beds, sufficient scientific precautions have not been taken for landslide, rockfall and flood risks; the life safety of tens of thousands of people has been disregarded." In the statement, the ecological destruction in the region, which is defined as an agricultural and pasture area in upper-scale plans, was directly conveyed with the following expressions: "With the construction works, the stream beds in the area were filled, the ponds were dried and their water was drained, and the flora-fauna habitats were fragmented. Endemic plant species, agricultural and pasture areas, which are the source of livelihood of the local people, are irreversibly destroyed."
"WE ARE DETERMINED AGAINST THE RISK OF PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE EXPERT"
Reacting to attempts to mislead the public throughout the process, the statement said, "We strongly emphasize that speculative posts made on social media and statements aimed at misleading the public while the judicial process is ongoing carry the risk of putting pressure on the expert committee that is responsible for making evaluations within the framework of scientific and technical principles. We are against any attempt that may cast a shadow on the independence and impartiality of the expert institution." In the statement, which stated that the stay of execution decision would be followed and all public institutions were invited to take part, it was stated that "The EIA Positive decision is not a sufficient administrative procedure on its own that allows the direct implementation of a project. Urban crime is committed through construction activities carried out without even lower-scale development plans, in violation of upper-scale plan decisions, urban planning principles and legal legislation. The stay of execution decision is an important achievement, but it is not sufficient on its own. It is imperative that the decision be fully implemented, all excavation and construction activities in the area be stopped immediately, and the damage that has occurred so far be eliminated. "We will never give up defending our natural areas, cultural heritage and rural areas."
