Leader Receives the Mayor of Tehran and Members of the Tehran City Council June 25, 2007
The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei received the mayor of Tehran and his deputies and members of the Tehran City Council as well as the mayors of different municipal districts of the capital on Monday, June 25.
In an address to the audience, the Leader stated that while the municipal authorities are trying to improve the condition of the city, they are also expected to take into consideration the cultural issues and try to promote religious values in the capital and make every effort to serve the Tehran residents.
"The members of the Tehran City Council and municipal officials are expected to take effective steps toward solving the major problems which are facing the megalopolis Tehran in complete coordination with each other and with the government and other state organizations," the Leader pointed out.
Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed his appreciation for the sincere efforts that were made by the members of the 2nd Tehran City Council and the mayor. He referred to the issues of dilapidated buildings and the city's perimeter and public transportation as well as the issues of environment and housing and supervision over the quality of construction work and the strength of structures as the most important problems that have to be dealt with concerning the capital Tehran.
"What is expected is that earnest efforts should be made to remove any probable lack of coordination between the relevant state organizations, so that these problems, including the problems of public transportation and traffic congestion, will be solved for the sake of the people's comfort and convenience," Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience.
Further in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Republic noted that fixing the perimeter and limits of the capital Tehran and preventing the illegal construction of buildings by opportunist individuals and stopping the destruction of natural resources are also among the issues that need urgent attention. He also called on municipal officials to pay due attention to the spirit of the city as well.
"Cultural issues in all cities, especially in Tehran which is the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, should receive due attention, and this reality should be taken into consideration that our culture is the culture of the Islamic Revolution and religious values," the Leader observed.
Ayatollah Khamenei hinted at the attempts made by certain individuals to remove the values of the Islamic Revolution from society and divert the course of the nation from the path of revolution. He stated that efforts should be made to preserve the values of Islam and the revolution in all cultural spheres.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader of the Islamic Republic advised the municipal officials to keep the doors of their offices open to the general public.
"The municipalities are always likely to deal with opportunist individuals and profiteers. However, contact with the general public and their easy access to the municipal managers will eliminate the room for many cases of opportunism," the Leader remarked. He called on the municipal officials to firmly deal with opportunist individuals, but to be lenient toward the general public.
Ayatollah Khamenei also underlined the need for transparency in the expenditures and budgets of the municipalities. He called on the municipal officials to be strict and careful with respect to the public purse, avoid extravagance and prevent the political leanings and differences of opinion from affecting the performance of their duties and their services to the general public.
"All of you are expected to put on the garb of service and serve the general public side by side," the Leader told the audience.
At the meeting, the chairman of the Tehran City Council, Mahdi Chamran, presented a report about the performance of the 2nd Tehran City Council. He also said that drawing up the capital's 20-year perspective document and preparing a comprehensive and detailed map of Tehran were among the most important measures that were taken by the 2nd Tehran City Council.
The mayor of Tehran, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, also speaking at the meeting, presented a report about the performance of the Tehran Municipality. He said that solving the problem of dilapidated buildings, the expansion of public transportation, making investment in the city of Tehran, paying due attention to cultural issues and financial transparency, prioritizing southern regions of the capital and promoting privatization based on Article 44 of the Iranian Constitution have been among the most important measures taken by the Tehran Municipality.