Turkey is cracking down on developers of buildings that collapsed in the earthquake

Turkish authorities have cracked down on developers linked to buildings demolished by the devastating earthquake this week, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces growing dissatisfaction with the quality of construction in the stricken area.

The state-run Anadolu news agency reported late that the Ministry of Justice had authorized some 150 local offices to set up earthquake investigation units to investigate contractors, surveyors and other experts with links to destroyed buildings and ensure they did not escape or destroy evidence. Saturday.

In a sign that these legal procedures are already underway, a contractor to build luxury apartments in the hard-hit Hatay province in southern Turkey was detained on Friday at Istanbul airport en route to Montenegro, Anadolu reported. The agency said Istanbul prosecutors had ordered his arrest after discovering his flight plans.

Erdogan’s move comes after Turkish politicians pledged this week to investigate the poor quality of construction in the aftermath of an earthquake that killed more than 22,000 people in Turkey and thousands more in neighboring Syria. Earlier this week, Turkish Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag said that “everyone who has been neglected or wronged will be held accountable,” according to Anadolu Agency.

Erdogan pledged on Saturday to construct hundreds of thousands of earthquake-safe buildings within a year as part of a massive reconstruction effort.

We will not leave any of our citizens, dead or alive, under the rubble. Then we will quickly start clearing the wreckage and rebuilding. “We are planning to rebuild hundreds of thousands of homes from buildings and infrastructure, or rather to recreate our cities that were destroyed in the earthquake,” Erdogan said.

“God willing, we will finish the construction and restoration work within a year.”

About 14,000 rescuers are making a last-ditch effort to find survivors five days after the earthquake, but the situation in some areas is becoming precarious. Two groups of German rescuers on Saturday had to suspend operations in Hatay due to security concerns, with one reporting hearing “shots” in the area.

Some experts have urged the government not to remove the rubble quickly in order to gather evidence against the property developers. Civil engineers said that many construction projects in southeastern Turkey were carried out without adequate protection against ground shaking in an area known to be prone to earthquakes.

Massive construction projects have been a hallmark of Erdogan over his two decades as Turkey’s president, but opponents have criticized the frequent amnesties for poor construction quality and a tendency to award contracts to loyalists.

Selim Kuru, an analyst at the Ankara-based think tank Tepav, said he doubts there will be any widespread reckoning with the construction sector given its importance in Turkey, although a few “bad apples” may be prosecuted. Construction accounts for about 5 percent of Turkey’s economic output, according to official data.

Erdogan is facing growing criticism over construction issues and the government’s response to the disaster, with some saying it took too long for rescuers to reach the hardest-hit areas.

The Turkish president blasted his critics on Saturday, accusing them of undermining national unity.

He added that all Turkish universities will move to online classes for the rest of the academic year so that their dormitories can be used as emergency housing for those who have lost their homes.

Erdogan acknowledged on Friday that the rescue operation had not moved quickly enough because of the sprawling area that was damaged, bad weather, and rescue workers and their families from the earthquake, which was Turkey’s worst natural disaster in nearly a century.

The earthquake occurred during a fiercely contested election campaign that many political analysts describe as Erdogan’s toughest since he came to power in 2003. Even before the disaster, his approval ratings had taken a severe blow as a result of the cost of living crisis, which has been very difficult. worsened by his government’s unorthodox economic policies.

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