“Life defenders” opposed to the Integrated Cement Factory under construction in the Yatağan district of Muğla voice the interim decision of the court to “ask questions about the EIA to Muğla Metropolitan Municipality, Menteşe Municipality, General Directorate of Forestry and Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry”. raised. The decision was considered “Disgraceful”.
Mustafa SARIIPEK
Release: 20:07 – 17 August 2023 Updated:
An interim decision was made in the lawsuit filed by the local people against the cement factory planned to be built between Bayır Mahallesi in Menteşe district of Muğla and Deştin District in Yatağan district. Court; Muğla Metropolitan Municipality decided to ask questions about EIA to Menteşe Municipality, General Directorate of Forestry and Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, and it was learned that a final decision would be made according to the answers. Thereupon, environmentalists, who continued to watch in front of the courthouse, made statements. The decision was considered “Disgraceful”.
Deştin Environment Platform Co-spokesperson Haluk Özsoy said, “A disgraceful decision was made by the court during the vigil in front of Muğla. It seems that there is a desire to open up space for capital from here and to bring it into a fait accompli.”
“EVERY WAY TO EXTEND THE DECISION”
“Imagine that we have a previously canceled EIA report. Özsoy said:
* “Afterwards, our new case came, as you know, they have been trying to stall it from the beginning. First we opened the case, then the court said to us, ‘I am sending an exploration committee. We invested the discovery money, and then he said, ‘We will not see this case.’ After that, we went to the Council of State. The 6th Chamber found us right and ruled that the case be heard. But in this time, it made us lose 8-9 months.
* Afterwards, an expedition was sent, and we met the delegation there. During the exploration, it was said in the conversations with the delegation, ‘Look, there is an olive grove 300 meters away, save this place’. The delegation’s answer to us was, “Is it the olive grove, how far away it is when we look at it from the satellite, that you can see them all?”
“THE CAPITAL ARE WORKING TO OPEN”
Adding that olive groves are everywhere, Özsoy said, “In the expert report, it was announced that there are olive groves very soon. As you know, these places do not have to be listed as olive groves in the title deed. Despite this, despite the fact that a total of 3 expert committees said that a factory cannot be built here, the court still does not give a decision that a factory cannot be built here. Especially trying to stall. They applied for an additional report, and from there it was decided that it cannot be done here. This time, he is trying to ask the Ministry of Agriculture, the Forestry Directorate. Information that is already in the file is being asked again. This behavior has only one purpose and that is the idea of opening up space for capital. This lawsuit is being prolonged and tried to be brought into a fait accompli,” he said.
“WE SEE JUSTICE FROM THE RICH AND THE MONEY”
Haluk Özsoy said, “Everything is in our favor. Therefore, by doing the only thing they can do, they try to distract us by prolonging the decision process. Justice is one of the basic elements of the state. This also happens in courtrooms. But we cannot find justice here. We are constantly lingering here. Here, we see a justice on the side of the rich and wealthy, not the peasants. So we do not see justice here. This is an issue that concerns not only here, but also our entire country. When justice is delayed, there is no justice. We will continue to watch until we find justice here, not only for ourselves, but for our whole country,” he said.
“I AM 20 YEARS OLD AND WHEN I READ THE REPORTS, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT A FACTORY CANNOT BE BUILT THERE”
20-year-old student Deştin Environment Platform Co-spokesperson Gamze Çetinkaya also spoke as follows:
* “Does the court always have olive groves there? I request this here, send it’ he says. If you had questioned this much before giving the EIA or the license, you would have seen that the place was not suitable for the factory. Does one of you go out and have an olive grove there? If he had asked if there were agricultural areas, forest areas and people living there, then we wouldn’t need to come here.
* When I read the reports given as a 20-year-old student, I can understand that a factory cannot be built there. Likewise, when I tell these peasant women, they can perceive it. While the additional report is here, what is the question of whether there is still an olive tree there? Today, if you look at the maps even on the computer, you will understand whether there is an olive grove there or not.
* Get justice as soon as possible and remove that concrete pile from there, so we don’t come here. I’ll go and read. People turn to agriculture. This is the whole of Muğla’s problem. What’s wrong with Muğla? We won’t have a place to breathe in the future.”