March 30 (SeeNews) - Mehmet Cahit Turhan has been removed from his post as Turkey’s minister of transportation and infrastructure, local media reported, quoting an announcement in the official gazette.
Turhan will be replaced by his deputy Adil Karaismailoglu, Anadolu Agency reported over the weekend.
No reasons for the move were provided.
Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu last week criticised the infrastructure ministry for holding the first tender for the Kanal Istanbul project amid the coronavirus outbreak, news portal Hurriyet Daily News reported.
The infrastructure ministry reportedly responded by saying that the tender was previously scheduled and was not affected the government’s measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
Kanal Istanbul foresees the construction of a 45-kilometre waterway parallel to the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul.