“Specialized panels should have an open discussion on the issue of relocation of capital in a series of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting programs,” he told the Mehr News Agency.
Hashemi pointed out that the main reason behind the proposal is the fact that Tehran is earthquake-prone and any high-magnitude earthquake can wreak havoc. Tehran lies on many active fault lines.
Tehran has also been prone to migration from rural and provincial areas for decades and this has created large clusters of people in one place, he added.
Hashemi said that changing the economic capital is hard, but changing the political capital is common around the world. This happened in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which relocated their capitals from Jeddah to Riyadh and from Lahore to Islamabad, respectively.
He said that the relocation of the capital is possible but costly. However, this move will bring about economic prosperity and cultural diversification to the city chosen for relocation.
When considering proposed capital cities, some important characteristics should be kept in mind including security, accessibility, facilities and resources, he added.
Hashemi said that there will always be opponents and proponents to such a plan, but everyone should be clarified about the rationale behind such a move.
AM/SJ
END
MNA