Bijan Namdar Zanganeh: Oil Regions Left in the Lurch

At least 3% of petroleum revenues should be earmarked for expanding infrastructure in oil-producing provinces namely Khuzestan and Bushehr, but in practice much less has been allocated to these regions in the last 40 years, the oil minister said.
“We are calling for legislation to allocate a bigger proportion of oil revenues for infrastructure development in these provinces or else they will continue to lag behind forever,” Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Investments have been made in Khuzestan over the past decades but apparently are not enough. The oil-rich region has been grappling with insurmountable problems, especially in water, wastewater and power sectors, he concurred.
Dismissing unfounded claims that some provinces including Isfahan receive more petrodollars, he noted that funds disbursed for Khuzestan in south Iran has been more than central provinces, but the oil-rich region is half as developed as other areas due to numerous problems.