ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – August 2012
DEVELOPMENTS IN "ELAZIĞ"’S ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION PLAN
On April 2, 2012, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning approved the 1/100,000 Scale Environmental Regulation Plan for the Malatya - Elazığ - Bingöl - Tunceli Planning Region, along with the Plan Explanation Report, Plan Provisions, and Plan Research Report. I had shared my views on this plan and the expectations of our citizens in my articles dated May 16 and May 23, 2012.
The 1/100,000 Scale Environmental Regulation Plan (32 Sheets), the Plan Explanation Report (1 Document), and the Plan Provisions (5 Sheets) were posted for public review on the Environmental and Urban Planning Directorate’s announcement board from April 25, 2012, to May 25, 2012, for a period of 30 days, and more than fifty objections were made during this period.
A meeting regarding the environmental regulation plan was held on Monday, August 6, 2012, in the Malatya Municipality Conference Hall. Without going into too many details, I would like to note that not all relevant parties are informed about general-purpose meetings. This is mainly because such meetings are usually announced only on institutional websites. However, sharing such information through local media would significantly contribute to achieving the desired level of participation. In this age of communication, I wholeheartedly commend and thank the Environmental and Urban Planning Provincial Directorate for overcoming the communication gap by not relying only on announcements, but by calling concerned individuals directly. In our own city, we often struggle to get informed about even local meetings. I hope this behavior sets an example for all of us.
It was very encouraging to see strong participation from Elazığ. Despite the meeting being held in Malatya, Elazığ participants made up nearly half of the attendees. This shows that our calls through Günışığı newspaper during the announcement period were not in vain. Many institutions and NGOs made valid objections to the plan.
At the meeting, officials from the relevant institutions and the consulting firm provided information about the progress made so far on the environmental regulation plan. Objections had been taken into account, and necessary adjustments had been made to the plan. However, we must still examine whether these revisions are sufficient.
Once the revised 1/100,000 scale plans are approved, the 1/25,000 scale plans will be posted for public review. It is crucial for our institutions, organizations, and NGOs to come together and carefully examine these plans in a timely manner.
As I mentioned during the meeting, the primary sector for Elazığ has been identified as logistics, with agriculture not being included in the top four sectors. We need to evaluate whether this prediction is accurate, and if not, what the correct sectors should be. We must decide these matters together. In this context, consultation meetings are essential. Elazığ is a whole, and focusing solely on the city center is a mistake. We must make accurate predictions for our districts and towns as well.
In promoting these consultation meetings, the media should be used effectively. No one should wait to be personally invited. Anyone who wishes to contribute should receive their invitation via a meeting announcement in the press.