Municipal Business as Usual

Tehran Mayor Mohammad Ali Najafi dispelled rumors that he has ordered the suspension of urban development projects in the capital. He said all the construction projects in the capital are being followed up as in the past and no decision has been made to stop them. Najafi, who took the reins of the capital’s civil management after 12 years of conservative rule, has made it a point to focus on the city’s quality and standards of living, apart from its sprawling infrastructure. He has also clamped down on excessive issuance of construction permits, which had constituted the city’s main source of revenue in the past two decades. Najafi announced plans to begin work on the outlines of the third five-year Tehran Municipality Plan, saying that as part of the vision, each district of the capital is to have a specific roadmap of its own in addition to the main plan covering the whole city.