Municipality looking into claims of land purchases along Kanal Istanbul

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said that the sale of lots on the Kanal Istanbul project to the mother of the Qatar Emir was being looked into. "What kind of an estate trade was this? Are we talking about a sincerely nationally beneficial process or are there things we don't know?" said İmamoğlu, adding that when evaluating the financial aspect of the project, Istanbul's priorities must be considered.

Duvar English

Istanbul Municipality is looking into claims of land purchases along Kanal Istanbul, the city's mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has said, amid reports of Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, mother of Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, purchasing land from the area.

"What kind of an estate trade was this? Are we talking about a sincere nationally beneficial process or are there things we don't know?" İmamoğlu told reporters on Dec. 16.

Claims that Sheikha Moza had bought over 40,000 square feet of land on the Kanal Istanbul land stirred controversy.

Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks on building an environment-friendly canal, İmamoğlu noted that the environment along the project needs to be protected.

İmamoğlu added that when evaluating the financial aspect of the project, Istanbul's priorities must be considered.

"There's unemployment in this country. We don't know when the [great Istanbul] earthquake will happen. If we still consider 50,000 buildings to be risky constructs, we need to pay attention to that; we need to pay attention to the lives of thousands of people," İmamoğlu said.

İmamoğlu also reiterated his disapproval of the project.

"It looks to me like it's either the canal or Istanbul," İmamoğlu said.

Dubbed the "crazy project," the canal has been on the government’s agenda since 2011, but its realization has been delayed several times due to financial problems and environmental concerns.

With the project, the government is aiming at opening an artificial seaway between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea.

If completed, the artificial seaway will be a 43-kilometer-long and 400-meter-wide canal crossed by six bridges.

Environmentalists have voiced serious concerns about the artificial channel by arguing that the seaway will damage underground water resources of Istanbul and will threaten the Marmara Sea along with other social and urbanization risks.