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Sarıgöl Residents Are Worried About The Eviction 23/11/2010

Residents of Sarıgöl, one of the most crowded Roma settlements of İstanbul, are worried about rumours claiming there will be an eviction soon in the neighbourhood. 100 residents gathering in front of the municipality building made a press statement and submit some petitions to the municipality.

The press statement was maden by Şadi Çatı, president of local Roma association. Şadi Çatı emphasized that Roma people have lived in the neighbourhood for generations and have the right to be informed about the future of the neighbourhood.

Şadi Çatı told that even Roma people started to settle in the neigbourhood 60 years ago, they had lived there without land title for their houses for a long time. However they had their land titles with the law on shanty maden by Turgut Özal. Şadi Çatı emphasized that residents are worried about the stigmatization maden by mass media against the neighbourhood blaming residents to be criminals. Çatı told that it's a big mistake to blame all residents for behaviours of a small minority living in the neighbourhood. The most important inconveniency about the urban transformation project is elusiveness according to Şadi Çatı. "Even we have wanted them to give us a copy of the project text for many times, they didn't give it us yet."

The residents summit their petitions, which demand to be informed about the project, to the municipality officers. Then some residents including Şadi Çatı made a conversation with Suat Alkan, the deputy mayor of Gaziosmanpaşa district.

Suat Alkan claimed that there is no secret about the urban transformation project as they are publishing some bulletins introducing details about the project. Alkan explained the project to be two-stage. Firstly, 125 family living on an area with 30 decare will be influenced from the project. They will also get rent allowance according the deputy mayor. Alkan also emphasized that the new house will build pursuant to Roma culture.

Şadi Çatı evaluating explanations of the deputy mayor emphasized that the bulletins published by the municipality are not clear enough. He told that the residents hope to be informed about project more clearly. 100-150 family, whose houses were evicted before, are living under hard conditions according to Şati Çatı and this make the others more worried about the eviction.

Şadi Çatı completed his explanations with those words: "Our houses should be repaired. It is forbidden for us to drive a nail to our houses for 40 years. We are waiting for building law. Then people could make agreements with contractors if they want. We didn't see any services for 28 years in the neighbourhood. We don't have any infrastructure services. We hope authorities to do something for our people."

Source: Çingeneyiz İstanbul