Road tourism, the forgotten economic potential in Kandavan axis

The threat to the jobs of tourism activists on the edge of the Karaj-Chalus axis in the Kandavan area after the completion of the national open plan of the Tehran-North road as an alternative route is an issue that worries the workers of this area and it is necessary for the officials to develop road tourism and the job security of the trades of this axis. provide This axis, about 168 kilometers long, was built in 1312 under the name of Chalus Road, and it is one of the crossings connecting the southern provinces of Alborz and Tehran to the north of Iran, the western line of Mazandaran and Gilan, which goes from the east to Tehran, the west of Taleghan, the south of the province. Alborz and Mazandaran Chalus are limited in the north.

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About half of the length of this route is in the geographical area of ​​Mazandaran in the area of ​​Kandavan, Chalus city, and the rest is part of Alborz province, centered in Karaj, and according to the statistics of official sources, along this area of ​​the geographical area of ​​Chalus, there are at least 120 tourism operators with employment of about 1,200 people, including Reception units, repair shops, handicrafts, dairy, food, accommodation centers and car and towing assistance centers are working.

At the present time, the activists of this sector are worried that with the construction and completion of Azad Tehran-North road and the possibility of blocking the Kandavan road or reducing traffic on this route, their work economy will be affected and the continuation of this trend may lead to their unemployment. And they expect the authorities to come up with a plan and provide a solution to this problem before this incident happens.

The implementation operation of the Tehran-North National Freeway project started in 1376 with a length of 121 km in the form of four sections, so far the fourth section is 22 km long between Marzan Abad and Chalus in 1392 and the first section is also 32 km long between Shahid Hemat and Shahristanak. In 1399, it was put into operation and under the traffic load.

The second part of this national plan is 23 kilometers long and covers the Shahristanak region to the Zangoleh Bridge. It is ready for operation, and only the third part of this communication route is 32 kilometers long, which connects the Zangoleh Bridge region to the crossroads of the plain of Mazandaran province. and it is one of the most difficult routes that are being implemented.

Shortening about 65 kilometers of the route compared to the existing Karaj-Chalos road, reducing the travel time from four hours and 30 minutes on normal days to one hour and 30 minutes on normal days, a safe and fast route for four seasons of the year, increasing the passing capacity compared to The current way, saving fuel consumption, reducing air pollution due to the reduction of pollutants and depreciation of cars, the development of the tourism industry and agricultural and conversion industries are among the advantages of this national plan.

It is natural that with the completion of Tehran-North Azad road, the desire of travelers and tourists from the old Karaj-Chalus road will decrease, or the possibility of blocking this road due to the high costs of securing and maintaining it by the government is not far from expected. Therefore, it is necessary for the concerned officials to think of measures for this section of the society in the field of tourism industry before the full implementation of Azad Road.

In this connection, one of the tourism activists on the side of the Kandavan road said: Without a doubt, with the completion of the Tehran-North highway, the case of the hospitality, tourism and service units in this area should be closed, because there will be no more business at that time.

In an interview with IRNA reporter, Mehrshad Najafi, referring to the 70 years of activity in a catering unit in Vali Abad Kandavan, added: the fate of tourism activists near the Karaj-Chalus road after the operation of a section of Azad road between Shahid Hemet and Shahristanak in Alborz province happened and the job market of these people became less prosperous. In the future, the exploitation of the third section between Siah Bisheh and Darahi Dasht, like the beginning of the Chahar Azad section, will be a way to trouble the activists of this region.

The first part of Tehran Azad Road, north of the distance between Tehran, Shahid Hemat, and Shahristanak, Alborz province, with a length of about 32 km, was put into operation in 2019, and with its operation, the length of the south-to-north route was reduced by about 60 km. The project, many tourism activists on the outskirts of Karaj-Chalos area of ​​Alborz province, their job market became unprosperous.

This tourism activist stated: At least 10 people are working in this catering unit and their family earns a living by working in this place, and most of them are worried about their future careers, and they are asking the authorities for a solution to overcome this challenge. are.

Najafi stated: At least 1,200 job opportunities have been created in hospitality, service and tourism units between Zangoleh Bridge and Marzan Abad, and the officials should take the treatment before the accident because they can create welfare, service and Catering near the third part of Azad Road, they should plan and make policies so that this segment of the society does not become unemployed.

He stated: This issue was raised in the Governorate Office of West Mazandaran with the Director General of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, and this provincial official was asked that this population working on the side of the Kandavan road is providing services to travelers and tourists, their fate will be freed after completion. What will happen to the Tehran-North route? Until today, there has been no response from the officials involved.

Hamid Mirdar Soltani, another tourism activist and the head of the country’s catering units community in the Hazar Cham area of ​​Kandavan road, also said: A working group was formed in this connection with the issue of free road to Tehran – north of opportunity or threat, with the cooperation of the catering units community, and the members of this working group also held meetings with The governor, officials of tourism and governorate had.

He added: So far, these follow-ups have not yielded results, until on the fourth of April of this month, in the meeting of the provincial traffic council, in the presence of the governor in Marzan Abad municipality, this issue was raised, and the governor also confirmed this demand and emphasized that it should be done in cooperation with the General Directorate of Roads. , road transportation, natural resources, environment, crisis and police, several points for the construction of welfare, hospitality and tourism service complexes should be located in the 3rd section of Azad Road.

He expressed his hope: According to the plans, we are going to have a meeting with the governor in the future, and I hope that the follow-ups will yield results in this meeting.

The head of the country’s hospitality units community said: In addition, it is suggested to consider service, welfare, hospitality and accommodation complexes that are being built in cooperation with the Aborud and Azad Rah salt town complex for the continuation of the activities of tourism activists in the outskirts of Kandavan axis.

The head of Chalus Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department also said: In my opinion, before the exploitation of plot 3, places should be located and built near this plot for the construction of hospitality, health, service and welfare complexes, so that these tourism activists in the form of to be able to continue their activities in these complexes.

In an interview with IRNA reporter, Hossein Metaji added: Another point was that at the end of last year, at the meeting to identify employment opportunities for investment and development in the province of Chalus, it was raised that the distance between the Zangoleh bridge and the floor of Hazar Cham as an alternative plan for the implementation of the projects Consider tourism.

He stated: “Definitely, with the exploitation of section 3, the jobs of tourism activists in the Kandavan axis will be threatened. As an example, we should mention Ashkedeh before the Kandavan tunnel located in Alborz province, because until the opening of the southern line of section 2, Azad Rah Bazar was opened. This ashkadeh was very prosperous and after the traffic overload of this part, unfortunately, its income decreased and it was closed at that point.

This official continued: In 2013, with the opening of Chahar Azad road between Marzan Abad and Chalus, at least 10 catering units and a large number of people working in these units were out of work, and the smoke of these indiscretions reached the eyes of these people’s families. .

He expressed his hope that with the follow-up and the upcoming meetings with the officials of the governorate in connection with this issue, it will lead to the presentation of a principled and basic solution to solve this problem, but also to some extent reduce the future concerns of tourism activists in this region.

A number of experts also believe in this regard: since the Karaj-Chalos road has unique locations and beautiful natural scenery, its function should not be lost, because this 90-year-old road has the ability to use this infrastructure in the field. To benefit the tourism industry.

According to them, many tourists, especially nature enthusiasts, what is very important for them is to enjoy looking at the beauty of this communication axis, not to reach their destination early, and they even have this desire in some parts of this axis due to the pleasant water conditions. and air, in addition to benefiting from these pristine natural spaces, they can also use the cool mountain climate.

Therefore, in order to preserve and secure the axis, it is necessary for the authorities to make a policy in such a way that this tourism axis, like the Abbas Abad-Klardasht forest tourism axis, will be able to establish communication after the completion of the free Tehran-North road as an alternative route. Open to travelers and tourists.

West of Mazandaran due to having unique locations such as Caspian green hyrcan forests, the sea, green villages, tourist and historical attractions, cable car complexes, mineral spa springs, museums, ecotourism residences and hundreds of other tourist attractions. Since long ago, it has been the origin of millions of domestic and foreign travelers and tourists from all over the country and the world.

The Chalus-Karaj axis is the only route connecting Tehran and Alborz provinces to the western region of Mazandaran and eastern Gilan, which according to the daily statistics, indirectly, about 25,000 cars on normal days and this number increases to 45,000 cars on holidays. Finds.

Noor, Nowshahr, Chalus, Kalardasht, Abbas Abad, Ramsar and Tankabon, with 21 urban points and more than a thousand rural points, are considered among the western cities of Mazandaran, with at least one million fixed population and three times the variable population in its heart. has placed