Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that his government’s definite policy is to prevent the expansion of the capital city Tehran due to a severe shortage of resources and necessary infrastructure.
The imbalanced development, without taking into consideration the resources and infrastructure, has caused serious problems for the residents of Tehran, the president said, adding “I believe that the continuation of the current trend is impossible, and the capital's expansion must be stopped as the first step to rectify the situation,” the president said in a meeting on decentralization of Tehran.
In line with that policy, the government is ready to transfer administrative processes and distribute authority and executive sections among other provinces, he noted.
The president urged universities to have greater contribution to studies and research to organize the situation in Tehran, prevent the expansion of the city, and assess the feasibility of relocating the capital.
He specified that budget would be allocated to universities based on the research that provides precise and practical solutions to the country's challenges.
Pezeshkian also assigned the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development to promptly develop a comprehensive plan for organizing, decentralizing, and assessing the feasibility of relocating the capital, with the help of universities and international consultants.
He also asked the ministry to take into consideration the decisions that have been made, and present its plan to the government in order to be approved and implemented.