Relocating the Capital Is Not the Right Solution

According to Rokna’s correspondent, Yaser Soleimani, a member of the Commission on Councils and Internal Affairs, referring to the repeated proposals for relocating the capital, said: “The issue of evacuating Tehran and transferring the capital has been raised several times; however, this is not the right path. Over the years, we have concentrated the population in Tehran, and with the ongoing expansion of housing on the outskirts of the capital, this population continues to increase.”

He added: “The rising population in Tehran is dangerous; however, transferring the capital cannot solve this problem. We started rural development far too late, and it has been less than ten years since we began measures such as building green spaces, paving roads, and providing basic infrastructure.”

The representative of Baft noted: “We must now continue this process across the provinces and prevent the concentration of various institutions and organizations in Tehran, rather than focusing on relocating ministries or moving the capital.”

Soleimani stressed: “This process is extremely complex and costly. Before taking any such action, we must prevent the excessive concentration of population around the capital. Relocating the capital alone will not solve the problems; instead, we must achieve real decentralization by empowering municipalities, expanding services, and dispersing administrative and economic activities. Therefore, for any reason, including drought, it is neither possible nor reasonable to evacuate Tehran or prepare the ground for transferring the capital.”