TEHRAN - President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated several major infrastructure and development projects in Kordestan Province, western Iran, on Thursday, IRNA reported.

The projects were put into operation as part of President Raisi’s second visit to the province during his tenure.

During this trip, in addition to following up on the projects approved in his previous visit to the province and public meetings, the president inaugurated the Sanandaj-Hamedan railway project, the Saqqez airport, and several water and electricity projects.

In the first part of President Raisi's visit to Kordestan, the Hamedan-Sanandaj railway project was put into operation. This project had progressed by 60 percent over the last 18 years and was halted due to funding problems.

The project was resumed last year after the president's first visit to Kordestan when he allocated 140 trillion rials (about $275.5 million) of funding for completing the railway.

Considering the importance of railway cargo and passenger transportation, the inauguration of this project will create direct employment, facilitate passenger and cargo transportation from the west to the center of the country, reduce the cost of cargo transportation, boost tourism and, as a result, improve the province’s economic condition.

On the second day of the visit, President Raisi inaugurated Saqqez city’s airport on Friday.

A plane carrying President Raisi, landed at Saqqez Airport around 9:00 AM on Friday, to officially launch this newly established airport.

The construction studies of this airport started in 1996 and continued until 2005, and from 2005 until 2014, about 70 billion rials (about $1.37 million) was spent on it, but in the end, the project's contractor and consultant were dismissed, and its implementation was stopped.

During President Raisi’s first visit to Kordestan, 2.0 trillion rials (about $3.9 million) was allocated for the completion of this project, and this airport was completed and put into operation with the efforts of the 13th Administration and by Iranian engineers in an area of 180 hectares and a terminal area of 2,500 square meters.

Raisi also inaugurated 10 major water and electricity projects worth over 120 trillion rials (about $236.1 million) in the province.

As reported, Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian who accompanied President Raisi on this visit, also attended the inauguration ceremony of the mentioned projects.

The projects included two major water supply projects, two water treatment facilities, and implementing irrigation and drainage networks for more than 2,700 hectares of farmlands.

The electricity projects, with a total investment of 25.1 trillion rials (about $49.8 million), also included the development, modification, and improvement of the power grid in several cities and rural areas across the province.

EF/MA