Abbaspour, who is also a member of Majlis Development Committee, told the Mehr News Agency that the MPs had amended the previous motion, and are seeking to summon Khorram before the chamber for new shortcomings with his ministry.
He said that Khorram will be impeached for his inability to devise required programming to run the affairs of the ministry, his decision to buy aged planes and his directives to change key managers of his ministry.
Abbaspour added that Khorram will be impeached for the problems of Iran’s aviation fleet, Khorram’s failure to supervise development projects in the area of roads and transportation, particularly the Tehran-North Highway, an increase in the number of road accidents, and the illegal increase in air ticket prices.
He recalled Khorram’s meeting with members of Majlis Development Committee on Tuesday, stressing that the responses by the minister, particularly those regarding the purchase of second-handed planes, had disappointed the MPs over the prospects of reforms in his ministry.
The MP stressed that the Majlis will strongly follow up their efforts to impeach Khorram until the required signatures for impeaching him are collected.
Earlier this month, MP Naser Qavami, a deputy representing Qazvin, said that Majlis Presiding Board is resisting against impeachment of Transport Minister Ahmad Khorram.
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. There was no acknowledgement of the receipt of the motion.
Also, Iran’s local press had 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.
Iran's aviation fleet is mostly comprised of US-made Boeings which were 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 resort 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
End
MNA