Istanbul Municipality

Heavy rainfall once again paralyzed daily life in Istanbul on Aug. 29.

The Istanbul Municipality had warned citizens over the flood risk and storm approaching in the early hours of the day. Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş stated that wind speeds would see 75 km per hour.

The Istanbul Municipality has begun to put warning letters regarding video recording in cabs as a part of its new initiative after the move immediately drew criticism over "the violation of the right to privacy."

Lately, I have written that it would be better if the Istanbul Municipality did not enter competition with private entrepreneurs. I wrote that the municipality should not act as an investment fund with the money they collect from residents. I had two main points for being against the municipality's investments.

Heavy rainfall hit Istanbul beginning from the early hours of July 18, paralyzing daily life and causing floods.

Millions of locals in Istanbul struggled and waded to work in the morning after early-morning thunderstorms boomed over the city, dumping torrents of rain and swamping transport networks.        

Istanbul's "most famous" 71 streets and squares will undergo renovation in a tender bid to be held by the Istanbul Municipality, daily Sözcü reported on July 11.

The firms winning the tenders will be obliged to complete the renovations within 925 days, meaning the construction work will be finished in at most 2.5 years.

Plays staged at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's City Theaters will be viewed by the passengers of the Turkish Airlines, as part of a new campaign to promote Turkish theater to the world.

In the first stage, six plays including one for children will be delivered to Turkish Airlines within 60 days. 

The Istanbul Municipality hiked public transport fares by an average of 11 percent on June 30, affecting bus, rail and sea transport systems across the city.

A municipality has halted a construction project in Istanbul's Üsküdar district after the walls of a historic mosque have cracked. 

The construction of a pedestrian road in front of the Şemsi Paşa Mosque built by renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan in 1580 was halted after criticism poured over damage on the historical structure. 

An eight-year-old girl from the Yüksekova district of the southeastern province of Hakkari, who recently became known after reports that her father had made a makeshift Bosphorus Bridge model for her, has realized her dream of seeing the bridge after coming to Istanbul on June 19.

The Istanbul Municipality banned the passage of heavy vehicles on ferries in Istanbul on June 7, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

Heavy-laden vehicles such as lorries and trucks will no longer be permitted to travel via sea on ferries, according to decision.