150 Iranian MPs call on administration to tackle issue of dust storms

TEHRAN,July 7(MNA) - One hundred and fifty Iranian lawmakers issued a statement on Wednesday calling on the administration to take the measures necessary to tackle the issue of dust storms which have affected 23 provinces in the country. The MPs wrote that certain relevant officials are not serious enough to address the fact that the amount of floating dust particles in the air in the affected provinces is much higher than the permitted level, making citizens’ lives a misery. The parliamentarians also stated that they will make every effort to defend the rights of the people and called on the relevant officials to take practical steps to help resolve the issue. In addition, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the chairman of the environment committee of the Tehran City Council, announced on Tuesday that the council has particially approved a proposal which calls for Tehran’s ecological Pardisan Park to be protected. Ebtekar expressed concern about the administration’s ratification which authorizes Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization to sell part of the park, saying that councilors have called on the administration to annul the ratification. Councilors have said that the Tehran Municipality is ready to help efficiently manage the park and that the council can allocate funds for the protection of the park.