The sixth council of Tehran city in the past year/plans to reduce housing rates in the capital

Fars News Agency, Shahri Group:The elections of the 6th city and village council were held on June 28 last year. This election coincided with the presidential election and the people of Tehran voted decisively for the list of the Islamic Revolution Coalition Council and the activities of 21 people in the list. The activities of the 6th city council in the capital city started almost from the middle of August last year, and their most important priority, which was the election of the mayor, was also carried out.

In their second session, the members of the 6th council elected “Alireza Zakani” as the mayor of Tehran with 18 votes out of 21 votes. After a month, Alireza Zakani’s sentence was announced by the Minister of Interior Dolat Raisi and he officially started his work in Tehran Municipality on 11 September. Now, about a year has passed since the activity of the 6th Council of Tehran, and during this period, urban management has entered into various fields and developments have taken place during this time, especially with the establishment of camps.

The first official meeting of the 6th Tehran City Council was held on August 14, 2015, and in this meeting, the members of the council took an oath that as long as they are members of the city’s Islamic Council, they will pay attention to the efficiency and progress of the affairs of the city and municipality.

On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the activities of the 6th Tehran City Council on various issues in the city Mehdi Chamran, Chairman of Tehran City Council We had a discussion, the details of which are as follows.

Approval of rational plans and facilitating bills in the 6th Council of Tehran

It has been about a year since the members of the sixth council of Tehran city have started their activities. In your opinion, what are the most important measures implemented by the council members during this period?

Although the activity of Tehran’s new urban management has not been completed for one year yet, many measures have been taken during this period, so that many plans based on rational and operational principles have been considered and implemented in the city council. Also, during this period, many bills have been reviewed and approved by the Tehran Municipality to facilitate citizens’ affairs and simplify their work, especially in the field of construction.

Compilation of audit reports in the sixth council

Also, during this period, the Program and Budget Commission of Tehran City Council has taken a valuable step and collected more than 300 audit reports. We are legally obliged to follow up the audit reports and these reports should be read and the results announced to the municipality. Of course, such events did not happen in the previous city administration.

Pursuing the members of the 6th Council to reduce the time for issuing construction permits

In terms of reducing the issuance of licenses, although the final result has not yet been achieved, there have been many follow-ups in this direction and planning has begun. We have asked the Tehran Municipality to complete this issue as soon as possible and, God willing, we will see good news in this regard.

Increasing traffic in the streets and squares of Tehran

In the field of transportation and service works in Tehran city, at all levels, from Tarabar squares to roads and streets, good works have been done during this period, of course, there is a comprehensive plan in the area of ​​waste, which has not been implemented yet, and soon there will be a change in the collection system. We will have waste collection. Of course, some investment is required in this direction, but nevertheless, this case is very close to implementation.

Increasing supervision of the Sixth Council/face-to-face communication with citizens of different urban areas

Also, city council members are sensitive to the issue of supervision and all members visit different areas of Tehran. In the localities, they prepare reports and public relations. This is a valuable step and should be continued. Some members of the council even go to mosques in urban areas and neighborhoods three nights a week and have face-to-face contact with citizens and follow up on their demands in the urban area.

The activity of the deputy of monitoring, supervision and financial and administrative affairs/saving in the municipal budget

Also, various vice-chairs in Tehran city councils, such as the vice-chair for monitoring, the deputy for supervision, the deputy for financial and administrative affairs, have implemented activities to see the improvement of work routines. The Vice-Chancellor of Administrative Finance Affairs is trying to move forward as much as possible and to achieve savings in urban affairs and issues in terms of budget; Because we believe that the budget of the municipality is the budget of the treasury and we should save as much as possible in this direction.

In what ways has more economic savings been achieved in urban management?

Forming a single treasury and making purchases in the commodity exchange for economic savings

Purchases by the municipality from the commodity exchange are being made at a reasonable price. look! The amount of spending and how to spend is very important, and in addition to the fact that it should be checked and taken into account how the income is obtained, how to spend is also important. Unnecessary expenditures should not be made. In this regard, the formation of a single treasury was important and it caused the figure of each region to be realized in the amount of savings.

Not only the problem of paying salaries was solved, but the construction and executive works were also started

Last year, when the new city administration started its work; The treasury had a deficit to pay the salaries and they could not even pay the Mehr salaries for the employees last year, but with some measures and the creation of the treasury of the municipal resource collection unit, this issue was realized and not only the payment of the salaries was solved, but also the construction works. And the implementation was also keyed. Of course, the budget is still not enough to start all the work together, but now it is possible to do big projects.

Time table for municipal projects

Where did the implementation of urban projects reach during the past year? How was the follow-up of city council members in this regard?

Good steps have been taken in this direction by Tehran Municipality despite the budget problems and, God willing, more news will be published in this direction soon. The members of the council want to create a timetable for municipal projects and inform the citizens if the projects are going to be delayed. It was the same 4-5 years ago and a timetable was allocated for urban projects.

Debt reduction with new contracts and clearing

What about the debts of Tehran municipality? It is said that the municipality was able to reduce the amount of municipal debts.

Yes; The issue of debts was raised by Abolfazl Fallah, the financial and economic deputy of Tehran Municipality, in the Shura Council, and detailed explanations were given regarding what actions were taken. First of all, they tried to reduce the high amount of bank debt as interest to banks, and this issue has been done with new contracts and clearing. In the budget, we also put a figure for debts, especially debts to contractors, using the sale of real estate and funds, along with liquidation, was another solution for this issue.

Some time ago, there were many rumors and stories about the sale of Tehran municipal properties. What was the reality of the story?

The sale of municipal properties is not a strange and strange story/providing 10 to 12 percent of the municipal budget through property sales.

During the past year, a number of properties in Tehran Municipality were considered for sale, but this issue was not fully completed not only during that period but also in the first quarter of this year due to the market stagnation, and we hope that it will be implemented and the forecasts will be correct. go ahead When a property is sold, the money will go into the treasury and can be used in various places in the municipality, be it construction projects or other issues. The sale of municipal properties is not a strange story, this issue has always existed in the municipality and should continue. In any case, every year a number of properties are sold instead of demanders or are cleared. The sales will be through tenders and auctions, and about 10-12% of the municipality’s budget will be through property sales, which is the responsibility of the municipality.

Reduction of demand for social security from Tehran municipality

Sometimes large properties are paid for by different organizations. In the case of the Social Security Organization, it was mentioned that there was a huge demand of several thousand billions by this organization from the municipality, and friends in the municipality checked the amount of the demand and it was found that it was less. Also, previously, if there was a request from the municipality, it would lead to the seizure of the municipality’s assets and bank accounts, but with the plans we have made, we have placed the municipality’s accounts in bank branches so that this does not happen.

Tehran Municipality alone cannot be involved in reducing housing rates

Providing housing is one of the demands of the citizens, and the increase in rates has brought many complaints in this regard. Can the municipality take measures to stabilize or reduce housing rates?

Regarding the issue of housing in Tehran, it should be noted that Tehran Municipality alone cannot be involved in the reduction of housing rates. Many issues are important in this area, of which the municipality is only one part. The new city management has tried to take steps in the field of housing and urban development to be effective in this market, but in any case, some issues have caused issues that have increased the housing rate, and this year, the property suddenly started to increase. did the rate

The role of municipality facilitation in reducing housing rates

This issue should be prevented, the municipality also follows the plans and although it does not have capital, it has started construction by facilitating and partnering in issues such as land with the cooperation of the private sector and some institutions. I think that with the work done by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the work done by the municipality, the measures will definitely affect the housing price, and when the construction of the housing is completed and living conditions are provided for them, the real estate market will also be affected. We are happy that The municipality has started a movement in the housing movement, and the council must be in sync with it, and we hope it will lead to favorable results.

Using the capacities of the worn-out fabric is one of the important points that the city management has paid attention to, and God willing, with the acceleration of the work in this sector, we will also witness developments in the housing sector.

The city administration is following up on the issue of housing rental

On the other hand, the issue of the municipality is considered for rental houses, and in my opinion, this issue is one of the important parameters.

We identify luxury houses in Tehran and introduce them to the Finance Department

Recently, the head of the Tax Affairs Organization appeared in the court of the Tehran City Council. Is the city administration going to have an income through joint cooperation with this organization?

Regarding the identification of luxury houses in Tehran, we have recently announced that the municipality can take appropriate measures to identify these houses in Tehran and introduce them to the Ministry of Finance for tax collection. It does not have a municipality.

Do you currently have statistics on the number of luxury houses in Tehran?

No, I do not currently have statistics in this field, but it is possible to prepare these statistics.

About a year has passed since the new appointments in the Tehran Municipality, was the issue of changing city managers considered in the recent consultation meetings with the Mayor of Tehran, or did the city council have any issues in this regard?

No, recently in the meetings with Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, no issue was raised or suggested in this direction.

The city administration has plans for Arbaeen days. What is the proposed budget in this field?

The final plan has not yet been made, and the Arbaeen budget has not been determined exactly and has not come to the table. During Arbaeen, Tehran municipality will help Najaf and Karbala municipalities and, God willing, comprehensive plans will be made in this direction.

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