The mayor of the only Turkish city in Hatay province, where not a single building collapsed, did not allow illegal construction.
Erzin is the only city with a population of 42,000 in Hatay province where not a single building has collapsed, Cumhuriyet reports.
The mayor of Erzin, a member of the opposition People’s Republican Party of Turkey, Ockeş Elmasoglu, explained this phenomenon only by the work within the law. He stressed that in Erzin the construction of self-buildings is strictly prohibited. According to the mayor, he did not allow them to be built even by his relatives, and the construction standards in the buildings erected are checked in detail.
“I did not allow even one building to be built illegally. I was pissed off, criticized and threatened, asking: “Do you think you’re the only honest person in this country?” But now my conscience doesn’t bother me,” said Ockeş Elmasoglu.
