In response to most questions about the peace process, the issue is referred to sanctions. Regarding the airline fleet, it talks about the special conditions of sanctions on buying new airplanes and in most areas it is believed that “the government should answer the questions. Because we do not need a special law in this area!”
Seyed Abolfazl Mousavi Beyuki is the first deputy chairman of the 10th term Civil Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. He comes from the Yazd electoral district (Sadough/Yazd) and in the 10th parliamentary elections, he was present in the Coalition of Comprehensive Reformists list as the second step. In this issue, the monthly Khat-e-Solh went to this member of parliament to ask him questions about transportation in the country, considering his position in the relevant commission. Questions that he insisted on answering, saying that we do not have a problem with legislation in this area in the country and issues should be raised with the

The explanation of the peace talks with this representative of the parliament passes below for your consideration:

Let’s start with the age of transportation in the country. Despite efforts made, such as the plan to address the issue of air transportation as one of the transportation challenges by the Parliamentary Research Center, it seems that nothing serious has happened. What is your opinion and what can the Parliament do?

We need to divide the problem. In the field of aviation and the issue of the lifespan of transportation fleets, the problem is that we need to be able to buy new airplanes, but because of sanctions, we cannot do so. Another option is to bring in used airplanes, which also have their own special conditions that we can buy. Overall, our aviation fleet is under special sanction conditions.
In the field of trains and railways, the problem is somewhat lighter. We have become self-sufficient in some parts of this field. We also do not have the technology to manufacture some parts, and we face problems in this field as well. But in other areas, we have made good progress and can say that we are moving towards self-sufficiency, except for some parts. In my opinion, in the railway sector, since the door to buying is closed, we can achieve complete self-sufficiency.
In road transportation and buses, we have a much smoother situation and the problem of outdated fleets

We are faced with private ownership in heavy land transportation. While corporatism is a phenomenon recognized in the current world that also blocks Syrian licenses in this field. Has there been any effort to solve this problem in land transportation in Iran?

We have two types of heavy transportation. One is for goods and the other is for passengers. In the passenger sector, depending on the existing companies, if it is self-owned, it is defined within the companies. But in terms of goods, the system governing transportation also goes in this direction, that companies are formed. Various provincial cooperatives have been formed that participate in tenders. This is one hundred percent necessary for organizing the transportation of goods. Whether it is self-owned or cooperative companies, they come to an agreement in each province. But for organizing it, if they go towards companies and legal entities, they can do the work much more smoothly.

In the field of goods, we must definitely move towards legal companies. The issue of self-ownership must also be resolved within these legal companies. This means they must have a definition for themselves in this matter. This definition is done in the private sector and in the companies that are formed.

This issue is not a law, but rather executive

One of the prominent plans in the development of the aviation and rail sectors is leasing, which the Minister of Roads and Urban Development has repeatedly emphasized. In your opinion, how much can such plans contribute to the development of transportation in the country?!

Leasing is a financial tool and method. The issue in the field of air transportation and fleet lifespan is the purchase of a new aircraft, which is currently closed due to sanctions. As I mentioned, the second option is to buy a used aircraft, which also has its own conditions. It is important that the aircraft we buy is suitable and similar to a new one. Whether the payment method is leasing, cash, commitment, or other methods, it is a matter of financing. Our issue and problem is the purchase and replacement of a new aircraft, in which we have limitations.

“Previously, members of the parliament have agreed to establish a transportation development fund in order to improve the infrastructure and transportation fleet of the country. How much can such a resolution from the parliament contribute to the development of transportation in the country?”

This is also a financial method and we have no problem with financial methods. The work can be done through one of the available methods, either through a fund or leasing or stock market or other methods. This is a separate discussion and any method can be used. But the issue is that the product has a foreign presence and can be purchased. We have no problem in the area of financing it. We do not need a law in this area either. Whether there is a problem or not is another discussion.
The problem is the issue of sanctions. We face problems with sanctions in some purchases. Especially in the aviation industry. Considering that a major partner of airline companies is America or the company itself is in America, we are faced with American sanctions and we do not have any other sanctions.

Let’s talk about fuel in the transportation industry. They say fuel is cheap. On the other hand, truck drivers have a different opinion and are facing high fuel prices, expensive parts, and other issues. The cost of freight also increases, adding to the price of goods. What do you think should be done? What solution can be predicted?

Fuel prices have not increased and the government is trying to keep them stable. The price of fuel in the transportation sector has remained constant. There are other items in this sector, such as spare parts, tires, and other items that have become more expensive, which has had an impact. How to control this is a question that government officials must answer. Because these discussions are practical and not within the realm of legislation.

I want to know your opinion as a representative of the parliament.

I mentioned that these have had an impact. But do you want to know why? Well, it has gone up. When many things, including wages, change in the market, the cost of production for parts also goes up. Some parts also have a currency dependency that changes with the exchange rate. That means, for example, in the issue of rubber, we are facing the same problem. It is also partly due to the sanctions and partly due to domestic production, as limited capacity creates problems. We have had and are experiencing price changes in rubber. But the government has tried to manage the issue through imports and increasing domestic production. However, it has only been able to manage it to a certain extent. In the case of rubber and parts, specifically rubber, the government has prioritized it as a solution to this problem, so that it can be included in the list of goods that receive government currency, and with this policy, it has been able to control some of the prices.

Every year, a large number of citizens die due to road accidents, especially during the Persian New Year. In your opinion, where is the problem? Can we attribute all the problems to driver error? Are our roads not problematic? What is your opinion?

Of course, this year during Nowruz, we will face a sharp decrease in the number of trips due to the issue of coronavirus and the main focus will be on staying at home. We will have to celebrate Nowruz in a different way. As for accidents, we are faced with a combination of factors. Each of these factors has its own place. One of them is the issue of car quality. The second is the safety of roads and infrastructure. The third is driver education. There are also various monitoring factors in road transportation, such as surveillance cameras or direct police monitoring. These are factors that contribute to the number of accidents. Since there is less traffic on the roads, it is natural that the number of casualties during this time of year will decrease significantly. In this regard, we consider it a good omen. And we hope that in the beginning of trips next year, we will be able to solve these problems. For example, in accident-prone areas or on highways and inter

We are facing the problem of coronavirus in our country. Many efforts have been made to disinfect passenger transportation vehicles in the country. What is your opinion? Is it enough?

In the aviation sector, where traffic has significantly decreased, there have been field visits to the railway and road transportation, and issues have been addressed directly. Considering that people themselves are also following the rules, this action is being implemented to an acceptable extent. The rest of the matter is up to the people to continue following the rules. In my opinion, it is generally acceptable.

Thank you for the time you have dedicated to the peace process.