Electricity company cuts power to Mardin water administration over trustee-era debts

Dicle Electricity Distribution Company cut off the electricity of Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Water and Sewerage Administration, which the DEM Party won in the last local elections, citing debts from the trustee mayor period.

Tuesday May 21 2024 04:24 pm

Duvar English

Dicle Electricity Distribution Company (DEDAŞ) has cut off the electricity supply to the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Water and Sewerage Administration (MARSU), currently controlled by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.

The company cited outstanding debts totaling 600 million Turkish liras ($18.64M) from the period when the municipality was under trusteeship as the reason for the power cut.

The power cut was stopped and water flow was restored after Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Ahmet Türk met with DEDAŞ officials.

Water administration officials reported that the institution had accumulated a debt of 384.7 million liras during the trustee mayor period. With the addition of accrued interest due to non-payment, the total debt has exceeded 600 million liras.

The officials noted that approximately 500,000 liras of interest have been added to the institution's debt daily.

After the 2019 local elections, the electricity company also cut off the water administration’s electricity over the trustee mayor’s outstanding debts. A couple of months later, the government appointed another trustee mayor to the province.