Thermal springs have been put up for sale in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority province of Şırnak (Şirnex) after the provincial governorship and local administration, controlled by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), abandoned projects to develop new tourist facilities, Mezopotamya Agency reported on Sunday.
Two hot springs in the districts of Beytüşşebap (Elkê) and Güçlükonak (Basa) were to be modernised and developed for tourism purposes, in projects announced four and two years ago respectively.
The initiatives, which were joint ventures between the provincial governorates, the district municipalities and the regional development agency under the Ministry of Industry and Technology, aimed to construct apartment units, swimming pools and social facilities in the areas of the hot springs.
Having already incurred an expenditure of 4.6 million Turkish lira ($180,000) in total, completion of the two projects became impossible due to the failure of the AKP-led municipalities to adhere to environmental regulations, and the springs will be auctioned in July for a total of 10.25 million Turkish liras ($405,000).
Unlike the overwhelming majority of the region’s municipalities which were swept away by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the 2019 local elections in Şırnak provincial and Beytüşşebap and Güçlükonak district municipalities. The unexpected outcome was attributed to demographic changes brought about by the increased presence of security forces during a state of emergency declared in the region between 2015-2017, and to irregularities at the polling stations.
The HDP mayors elected in other provinces and districts in the region including Şırnak, were subsequently deposed by the AKP government and replaced with appointed trustees.
