Istanbul's municipal gas distribution company IGDAS hopes to reach 4 million subscribers by the end of this year, General Manager Bilal Aslan said Wednesday, the Ihlas News Agency, or IHA, reported.
In a statement, Aslan said the number of subscribers increased by 75,000 between June 11 and Aug. 25, reaching 3.85 million.
At the start of the year, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas said IGDAS and the city's sea transportation company IDO will be privatized following local elections in March 2009.
The sale of Turkey's natural gas distribution grids is part of a wider International Monetary Fund-backed privatization program.