Tehran’s mayor has outlined plans for the metropolis saying that increasing transparency, bridging the yawning social gap, developing public transport and making the city safe in the face of earthquakes are high on his agenda.
The municipality’s plans are aimed at improving the quality of life of the 12 million people living in the sprawling metropolis, Mohammad Ali Afshani told a press conference on Saturday in Tehran, IRNA reported.
He said efforts will be made to increase openness and transparency related to the functioning of Tehran Municipality, facilitate public access to information related to his organization and oblige TM authorities to uphold accountability and responsibility, particularly in their interaction with the media.
“Plans also include steps to reduce the gap between the underprivileged and affluent districts within the confines of positive discrimination,” Afshani said, adding that he is striving to increase public participation in the management of the TM by drawing on international practices and experience.
Social Woes
The mayor said the municipality also intends to address social ills such as drug addiction and remove beggars (whose numbers have been growing to the astonishment of the residents) from the streets across the capital.
“Seventy percent of the beggars are foreign nationals,” he said, adding, “Only 10% of the beggars in the capital are from Tehran and the rest have come from other cities and countries.”
In addition, data show that 50% of the addicts in Tehran have moved to the city from other provinces.
Earthquake-Proof Structures
Afshani pledged to work toward making hoems and buildings resistant to earthquake, saying, “Tehran is highly vulnerable to even a magnitude 6 earthquake.”
“Improving crisis management and renovating old and dilapidated structures are the main priorities,” he said, but did not explain how TM intends to undertake such a massive job and where would the funding come from.
The mayor promised to preserve green areas in the city, saying, “During my tenure, not a single public garden will undergo change of use.”
Public Transportation
Afshani said there are plans to renovate the public transportation fleet, including public buses.
Fifty kilometers will be added to the existing metro lines within a year and more than 70 cars will be supplied to the subway company in the near future, he said.
Electric Fleet
The official noted that electric motorcycles and taxis will be introduced to help curb air pollution and protect the environment. Tehran is one of the most polluted cities in the world and every large numbers die to the pollution in the city that has grown in all four directions over the past three decades.
“We have forged a final decision on the issue of electric motorbikes, and it has been agreed that one-third of the price of the vehicle be paid by the owner, one-third by the Planning and Budget Organization and a third by the TM,” he said, adding that plans to introduce electric cabs will be pursued afterward.
