What Crisis Is Tehran Facing? From the Fate of Metro Wagons to the Housing Crisis

In 2013, Iran's parliament approved the purchase of 2,000 metro wagons for the entire country. Cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz and Mashhad were among those with metro systems, and Tehran's share was supposed to be about 700 wagons.

Mehdi Chamran, head of the Tehran Islamic Council, spoke in a detailed interview with Ambassador Arjan's reporter about the latest status of buying metro cars, providing currency and contracts with the Chinese side, development of public transportation, the possibility of continued free subway and bus service, the housing situation and rent, making the city suitable for people with disabilities, the dilapidated fabric and the problems and capacities of Tehran.

Where has the status of buying subway cars reached?

In 2013, the Islamic Council approved the purchase of 2,000 cars for the entire country's metro. Cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz and Mashhad were among the cities that had subways, and Tehran's share was supposed to be around 700.

A contract to buy about 600 wagons was signed in 1394 or 1395, but after that the process was stopped and Mr. Rouhani's government failed to implement the contract. Its money and credit had been provided and it had been announced in the budget plan, but it was not implemented due to the issues related to currency provision and contracts. Attempts were also made in the Fifth Council, but they did not reach results.

Pursuing the contract of wagons in the sixth council

In the sixth council, we followed up a lot. I raised the issue several times with the martyr Mr. Raisi and also Mr. Zakani and once I seriously complained why some ministries and organizations do not have the necessary cooperation. At that time, the Ministry of Interior did not cooperate and it took six months for a signature.

After the complaint, the work was ordered to be done and the contract was signed.

We also had problems in paying currency. About 9 to 10 percent of the currency was provided in some form. For financing, even some of the deputy mayors borrowed money from the bank and pledged their salaries, and they still have bank debt, and the Chinese agreed to start construction with the same initial percentage. Later, a few more percents were provided through the municipality and the bank.

We raised the issue with the president many times and a team was formed to follow up. This team even went to China and checked and coordinated the affairs.

Do Ram train is ready to enter Tehran

The train was supposed to reach Tehran last year in March, but the war started and the trains remained on the ship and have not yet been transported to Tehran, and the deputy of transportation of Tehran Municipality has also gone to China to follow up on the same issue. The Chinese side says that the contract has expired and problems have arisen, but we are definitely trying to solve the issue.

The two-ram train is ready and its tests have been done in China and it is ready to enter the line. We are looking for a contract now.

How much budget have you allocated for the development of public transportation?

Three years ago, we allocated a significant amount for public transportation, and three years ago I suggested that 10 thousand billion Tomans be added to the budget and spent only on public transportation. This proposal was approved and implemented in the council.

The following year, we increased this figure to 20 thousand billion tomans, and this year we allocated 50% of our budget and credits for public transportation.

Our effort is to secure the necessary financial resources for the subway and buses, and in the taxi sector, most of the responsibility is with the private sector, but the government should help in replacing worn-out taxis.

Regarding the high cost of housing and rent, can the council and the municipality do something?

To be honest, we have no official responsibility in this field; However, as citizens, Iranians, and human beings, we have responsibilities, and from the legal point of view, the duties of the council and municipality are clear. If a coordinated urban management is established, we can have more cooperation in this field, and the municipality voluntarily followed plans in this field and the council was also coordinated.

One of the efforts has been to build more buildings so that we don't have a shortage of buildings, and we have also tried to set the figures in such a way as not to put too much pressure on the builders. Currently, construction fees do not even reach two percent of the total cost of the building.

The aim is to keep the tolls low so as not to put more pressure on the construction.

What measures have been taken to adapt urban space and public transportation for people with disabilities?

Since we came in the second period, we had a resolution in this field and we were seriously pursuing that sidewalks and other urban spaces be adapted, and a lot of work has been done in this field. The statistics presented show the improvement of a significant part of the roads and sidewalks.

For the blind and people with different disabilities, measures have been taken and there are rules and regulations in this field, and elevators have also been created in some buildings, but unfortunately, sometimes they collect the elevator after construction; For security reasons or fear of theft.

Meetings have also been held with people with disabilities and we have asked them for their opinions about their needs. They have also presented reports in the council.

Revival of worn-out tissue requires people's cooperation

Many of these problems can be solved with the cooperation of the people, for example in the dilapidated fabric, we approved in the council that the fees for new construction in the dilapidated fabric will be almost zero. Of course, according to the law, we cannot set exactly zero and the figure is very small.

The goal was to encourage people to build in worn-out context; Because if an earthquake occurs, many of these buildings will be damaged and people will also be damaged.

Later, the parliament approved that 50% of tolls should be collected, but the government should pay this 50% to the municipalities so that the municipalities can not collect from the people. These amounts are also among our demands from the government, which have not been paid by different governments.

We even tried to avoid charging the people as much as possible if the property is subject to Article 100 fines in order to avoid pressure.

Of course, we know that if people had money, the worn texture would not remain and they would build it themselves, but they can collect a few plates and partner with investors and builders.

For example, if it is a two-story building, they can build a four-story building by joining together and giving a share to the builder.