Qavami told the Mehr News Agency that 50 MPs have signed the motion, adding that more MPs are definitely going to sign it.
He said that he had submitted the motion to the board on Monday, stressing that he would protest against the board if it fails to acknowledge the receipt of the motion today.
The press on Monday reported that 50 MPs have lodged a motion with the presiding board of the Majlis, calling for Khorram’s impeachment as a result of his poor performance in office.
The Majlis deputies in February 2002 had also taken a similar measure to impeach Khorram but the motion was later stopped.
Fourteen MPs had called for the resignation of the minister following a series of air tragedies, the worst of which caused the death of 119 people earlier in that month when a Topolev airliner crashed near the western city of Khorramabad, Lorestan province.
Qavami said that Khorram will be impeached for his decisions to change key managers of his ministry, his failure to supervise development projects in the area of roads and transportation and his lax performance in resolving the problems that are crippling Iran’s aviation sector.
He also recalled the rise in air ticket prices, the increase in road accidents, his failure to fulfill the promises and his inability to devise required programming to run the affairs of the ministry as other reasons of his impeachment.
Qavami further lashed out at the transport minister for his behavior.
“While answering the question as to when Imam Khomeini Airport is inaugurated, a cabinet minister should not say: `God knows!,” he said in reaction to Khorram’s certain press interviews.
“Impeachment is the last resort ahead the MPs and we have to stand against the indifference of transport minister.”
Local press on Monday had quoted Qavami as claiming that the transport minister was involved in collusion to promote directors under his supervision who had been found guilty of administrative misconduct, saying that this had been another reason for drafting Khorram's impeachment motion.
Iran's aviation fleet is mostly comprised of US-made Boeings that have been purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution but have already outlived their serviceable life by at least 20 years.
After the US imposed trade embargoes against the Islamic Republic, Iran has not been able to successfully maintain the planes fit for flying. This has forced the Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) to turn to Russian planes.
The CAO, however, came under strong pressure after most of the air mishaps in domestic flights have involved Russian-made planes.
In May 2002, a Russian-built Yak-40 plane on its way to northern Iran from Tehran crashed with 30 people on board, including the then roads and transport minister, Rahman Dadman, his deputies and seven MPs.
AA/IS
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MNA