Seçer: “In our second 5-year period, we will get the people of Mersin on the rail system.”

Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer stated that they will introduce Mersin residents to the light rail system as soon as possible, saying, “We found the credit for the rail system, and it is waiting for a signature. If it is included in the investment program, we will implement it very quickly through a loan. In our second five-year term, we will have Mersin residents use the rail system.”

The first meeting of the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Council’s regular meeting for November 2024 was held under the chairmanship of Mayor Vahap Seçer. In the meeting held at the Congress and Exhibition Palace Multipurpose Hall, a total of 71 items were discussed, including 16 referred to the commissions, 53 from the units, and 2 items outside the agenda.

“We love our homeland very much, that’s why we work hard”
Seçer expressed that they commemorated the founder of the republic, Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with respect, love, gratitude, and longing on the 86th anniversary of his death, due to November 10th, Atatürk Memorial Day and Atatürk Week, saying, “I express my gratitude to the Great Leader and will continue to protect our Mersin and our country by working harder, as we accept his will. Atatürk has many succinct words, but one as a politician affects me greatly; ‘The one who loves his homeland the most is the one who does his duty best.’ Therefore, to those who want to test our love for the homeland and to those who want to teach us nationalism with rhetoric, my answer is; we love our homeland very much, that’s why we work hard. We are working day and night, and this will continue. We will leave the homeland entrusted to us by the Great Leader at much higher levels for our children.”

Recalling the project that the Metropolitan Municipality recently launched and will serve as a model for public health, Seçer stated that they have started to administer HPV vaccines free of charge to girls aged 9-14 from families benefiting from the municipality’s social support, stating that families meeting the conditions can apply through the municipality’s website.

“When we coordinate with district municipalities, Mersin will be a much cleaner city”
Seçer pointed out that one of the biggest problems in Mersin is environmental issues, saying, “While it seems that ships passing through or docking cause sea pollution, 80% of sea pollution is land-based. We have some requests from our district mayors regarding this issue. Streets of 15 meters and above are the responsibility of the Metropolitan Municipality, but side streets and beaches, depending on which district they are in, are the responsibility of district municipalities. Our friends sometimes remind again the instructions from the Ministry of Environment on this matter.”

Stating that they have established a new system to eliminate and prevent factors causing sea pollution, Seçer mentioned that they are one of the two municipalities that received marine inspection authority from the Ministry of Environment. Seçer said, “Recently, upon our request, our coordinates were expanded. With an investment of approximately 90 million TL, we now carry out ship inspections digitally through digital cameras covering the entire area from Kula village to Çeşmeli. We will start to see the results of this very shortly. Our inspections are becoming easier and more effective. We will continue to do our part in this matter. When we reach a consensus and coordination with district municipalities on environmental cleanliness, Mersin will be a much cleaner city.”

Responding to criticisms regarding the process of the metro project, Seçer emphasized that they have been fighting for a long time for the project to come to life. Seçer stated, “We have not given up on the metro. In the past, we laid the foundation, but when it came to financial matters, all doors were closed in the previous council. We solved many problems, but we could not overcome the bureaucracy.”

“The 530 million Euro project has increased to 850 million Euro”
Seçer underlined that there has been no response regarding the borrowing authority given to the administration in the August Council Meeting regarding the metro project, adding that the cost of the project has increased from the day it was first presented, saying, “The 530 million Euro project has increased to 850 million Euro. The cost did not increase because the line has extended or the project has changed; it increased due to economic reasons. The depreciation in value is not only in TL but also in foreign currency, which complicates our work.”

Stressing that they did not receive the necessary approvals at the dates they wanted to implement the project and that the planned budget has increased significantly due to rising costs, Seçer said, “At least with the thought of starting with the light rail system, we have included this plan in the 2025 program. As soon as it is approved, we can immediately start the Old Bus Station-City Hospital-New Bus Station line, which we estimate to cost around 120 million TL.”

“In our second five-year term, we will have Mersin residents use the rail system”
Seçer stated that projects are not easy, but if financial approval is given, they will introduce Mersin residents to the light rail system as soon as possible, saying, “We said ‘We are starting the era of rail systems in Mersin.’ Istanbul started this a century ago, and it is a city with a 200-kilometer rail system. It is not easy, but we found the credit for the light rail system that we can implement quickly, and it is waiting for a signature. If it is included in the investment program, we will implement it very quickly through a loan. In our second five-year term, we will have Mersin residents use the rail system.”