TEHRAN, Iran, Dec.29
Trend:
Iran's Municipalities and village administrators are to implement its plan to renovate motorcycle fleet to reduce the air pollution, said the head of the environmental and civil services committee of Tehran City Council.
"Motorcycles are causing 21 percent of air pollution in Tehran and the government should provide loans with low-interest rates to owners of motorcycles to change their motorcycles with fuel injectors," Arash Hosseini Milani told Trend in an interview.
"The urban management might not seem to have the responsibility in this regard but Iran's Municipalities and village administrators had provided primary sources to some extent for the renovation of 40,000 motorcycles," he said.
Milani went on to say that due to the increase of foreign currency rate and price of motorcycles with fuel injector the plan was not useful since comparing to prices the volume of loan for owners was not justifiable.
"The financial aid that is provided by the municipalities can only help to implement 4 percent of the renovation plan. The government should annually assign $200 million credit sources for this purpose," he added.
According to Milani another important mechanism could have been dismantling worn-out motorcycles and offering new motorcycles to owners but the Administrative Court of Justice has ruled for revocation of executive regulation, article 8 of clean air, the following solution is practically out of reach.
"The Department of Environment and Ministry of Industries, Mine and Trade should immediately plan a legal alternative solution otherwise it is predicted that by a current increase of worn-out motorcycles the volume of air pollution would rise by 2023," he noted.
Milani also pointed out that it is necessary that the government would provide part of financial sources since there is a plan for controlling air pollution with specific credit resources but the in the current situation the access to these resources is not possible.