Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 22
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian MPs have prepared a draft law for merging the Environmental Protection Organization with the country's Agriculture Ministry.
At least 82 MPs have signed the draft law which was presented to the parliament's presiding board on Feb. 22, Iran's Fars news agency reported.
The draft law had been tagged with an "urgency" status, meaning it should be discussed in the parliament in a short time.
Commenting on the drat law, Javad Karimi Ghoddousi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament said that the draft law is aimed at systemizing the environmental issues.
The parliament will be able to supervise the environmental issues more effectively, if the draft is approved, Karimi Ghoddousi said.
He also criticized Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of the Environmental Protection Organization saying she does not care about the environmental issues.
Political issues are her first priority, the MP said.
The reformist director of the Environmental Protection Organization has come under fire in recent weeks for what is perceived to be her agency's failure to fulfill its responsibility when it comes to tackling the problem of dust storm in southern and western provinces.
The dust storm swept western Iran a couple of weeks ago and hit Khuzestan Province worst. As a result, local schools, universities, and governmental offices were closed, literally crippling life in the area.
In recent years, dust storms in the western part of Iran have grown in frequency and density. They have on occasions caused people serious respiratory problems.
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