The Department of Press, Public Relations and Media continues to organise community meetings to enable residents to convey their requests, suggestions and views directly to the municipal administration. As part of these efforts, a community meeting was held in Huzurevleri, a neighbourhood in Kayapınar district.

The meeting, which attracted considerable interest from local residents at Ahmed Arif Park, was attended by Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayors Serra Bucak and Emin Ay, DEM Party Kayapınar District Co-Chairs Sercan Doğan and Mehmet Yeşilbaş, Kayapınar Municipality Co-Mayor Cengiz Dündar, DBB council members, heads of departments and many residents.

Speaking at the opening of the programme, Co-Mayor Serra Bucak said they wanted to work together with Kayapınar Municipality for Huzurevleri and were open to discussions aimed at resolving the neighbourhood’s problems. Co-Mayor Emin Ay said: “Tell us about your problems. We have come to listen to you. Whatever your problems may be, we want you to tell us which ones you think we should address first.”

Residents voice their requests

During the meeting, residents of Huzurevleri took turns speaking and shared their problems, suggestions and requests with the Co-Mayors. Their requests included a bus route serving the neighbourhood, urban regeneration, a solution to heavy traffic, particularly the traffic congestion at weekends, and speed bumps to address vehicles travelling too fast around the mourning house and schools. Residents also said they found cleaning services inadequate and called for courses and a library to support students, as well as improvements to roads, pavements and paving stones. Children who spoke at the meeting asked the Co-Mayors for a five-a-side football pitch and a swimming pool.

Co-Mayor Bucak: “We can improve the neighbourhood together”

Responding to residents’ requests, Co-Mayor Serra Bucak said their concerns about transport were justified and that they would find a solution, including establishing a bus route. Recalling that a course centre and library had been opened in Huzurevleri last year, Co-Mayor Bucak said that a computer course would also be offered at the centre in the coming days.

“We prioritised low-income areas in our road surfacing programme”

Regarding requests for asphalt works, Co-Mayor Bucak noted that the city had grown considerably following the earthquake and said:

“We have an asphalt works schedule. As the Metropolitan Municipality, we have focused our asphalt works on Bağlar district. The roads in Bağlar had not been improved for 20 years. We need to prioritise areas where people on lower incomes live and where living conditions are difficult. That is our policy too. We will carry out our responsibilities as the Metropolitan Municipality. We will do good work together.”

Co-Mayor Bucak also said that work had begun on the sewerage system as part of pest-control efforts, adding: “We can improve the neighbourhood together.”

Co-Mayor Emin Ay: “We do not see local government as simply a job”

Thanking residents for taking part in the community meeting, Co-Mayor Emin Ay stressed the importance of establishing the right relationship with local people and listening to them. Co-Mayor Ay said:

“Of course, we do not see local government as simply a matter of building roads or pavements. In other words, local government is about much more than that; our approach, our inclusiveness and the scope of municipal services extend far beyond this.”

He said that their fundamental aim was to work in this way.

Emphasising the importance of people-centred local government, Co-Mayor Ay continued:

“We need to establish and further develop ways, methods and mechanisms through which we can manage the municipality’s work together with the people. We know that when we establish and put such mechanisms, ways and methods into practice, and when we make decisions together with the people, our work and services will become more democratic, more successful and more capable of delivering clear results.”

“We are not hiding behind excuses”

Co-Mayor Ay stressed that there had been certain problems and circumstances in the past that had hindered the delivery of services, but that the municipal administration had never hidden behind the excuse that “we have no services to offer”. He said:

“Of course, we recognise these reasons, but we do not use them as an excuse to say, ‘We cannot provide services.’”

The community meeting concluded after the Co-Mayors toured the neighbourhood and inspected the area.