Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has initiated plans to demolish and rebuild a total of 2,700 houses in the Cizre district of southeastern Şırnak province after 78 days of anti-terror operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) severely damaged residential areas.
The project, estimated to cost some 4 billion Turkish liras ($1.3 billion), sparked criticism among a group of residents who demand increased transparency.
The district governorate in Cizre sent a notification to locals, asking that they vacate their houses immediately, in order to initiate efforts to demolish and rebuild the district’s damaged houses as part of an urban transformation project.
“Technical personnel from the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning determined buildings with severe damage and are under risk of collapse,” the statement said. “Heavily damaged buildings that have a risk of collapse will be demolished in line with relevant laws as they pose a threat to life,” it added, asking residents to vacate their houses immediately.