A Curtain of Abuse in Mehr Housing in Pardis; Contractors Bought Houses and Cars with People's Money

The company "Omran Pardis" issued an "ultimatum" to 13 contractors, announcing that some contractors bought houses and cars with people's money. The CEO of "Omran Pardis" explained the delay in the construction of "Mehr Housing" in this region, stating that contractors used the funds from applicants for "Mehr Housing" to purchase houses and vehicles instead of building the projects. Khalil Mohabbatkhah told the "Tasnim" news agency that currently all contractors involved in "Mehr Housing" are negative and will be removed from the projects after the ultimatum ends. According to Mohabbatkhah, the deadline for the Pardis project contractors was "until January 13," and he claimed that "anyone" who does not come today to report their performance will be removed from the projects. This delay occurred despite the fact that at the time of registration for "Mehr Housing" in Pardis in 2010, individuals were supposed to acquire housing by paying a cost of 370,000 to 470,000 tomans per square meter, but today the price of "Mehr Housing" in Pardis has increased to 40 million tomans per square meter. "Mehr Housing" was one of the plans that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of the Islamic Republic, promised to implement widely to solve the housing problem in Iran, but like many similar government plans, it was not only poorly executed but also created more opportunities for corruption and rent-seeking. The "National Housing" plan, which has been implemented in recent years, has also seen price increases, with the cost of "National Housing" rising from 4 million tomans to 15 million tomans, and the critical state of living conditions has made it difficult for applicants to afford their contributions. Ibrahim Raisi promised during the election campaign to build one million houses per year, but more than two years later, his promises have not been fulfilled. Tasnim reported on workers sleeping in tents; salaries below 15 million tomans mean that housing inflation is "30 percent" higher than general inflation. The expansion of slum living; the Research Center of the Parliament: 6 million people have "informal" housing. The Statistical Center of Iran: the year-on-year inflation of residential apartments in Tehran reached over 75 percent in September this year. The outcome of Raisi's economic promises is approaching the third year of his government; failure to achieve goals.