Karatay Sanayi reserve decision sparks legal dispute over disaster fund use in Konya

Ali Erdal, president of the Karatay Sanayi Geliştirme ve Kalkındırma Derneği (KSGKD), told reporters that the recent designation of the Karatay and Eski Sanayi zones as reserve construction areas was justified by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change in a court defence that the change was needed to utilise the Urban Transformation Special Account (Kentsel Dönüşüm Özel Hesabı). Erdal argued that the zones have no documented disaster‑risk status, citing the 6306 law that creates the fund for areas threatened by earthquakes or other hazards, and said applying the fund here is legally questionable.

He invoked the constitutional guarantee of property rights and the 5393 municipal law, which gives local authorities the power to declare transformation zones only after negotiations with owners. Erdal stressed that his association does not oppose urban transformation itself but objects to the method that bypasses owners’ consent. About 150 shop owners have filed lawsuits, and the association is awaiting court decisions while calling for a solution that respects property rights and follows the rule of law.