According to the International Exhibition of Iranian Stone, on April 15, 2017, heavy and unprecedented rains covered the Shahdad desert and with a lot of destruction practically closed the access and use of this road, while this road is one of the arterial and sensitive roads for the people of South Khorasan. On the other hand, the road from Shahdad to Nehbandan passes through the only natural monument of the world record of Iran (Lut Desert).

Many miners and industrialists believe that the closure of this axis has made it difficult to transport export-oriented goods to Bandar Abbas because the route from Nehbandan to Shahdad shortens the way to the port, which has many advantages.

Since then, many promises and promises have been made to improve this road, for example, on December 1, 2016, the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development and the head of the Roads and Transportation Organization since the beginning of the study project on the Shahdad-Nehbandan axis. The flood of 1398 was devastating, he announced.

Past follow-ups for road repairs

Also, on the 2nd of Azar 1399, the representative of Nehbandan and Sarbisheh people in the parliament, in an interview with Mehr, pointed out that this road leads the industrial centers of the center of the country in provinces such as Isfahan to the border markets of South Khorasan such as Dokuhaneh and Mahirud. Mining is important in the east of the country, and the prosperity of many related businesses is related to this road.

Mostafa Nakhaei said: "Unfortunately, in the flood at the beginning of 1398, this road, like many other roads in the north and west of the country, was destroyed, but unfortunately, no action has been taken to rebuild it."

When the matter came to a question from the minister

Noting that all these factors led to our written warning to the Minister as the people's representatives in this regard, he said: "Since the answers of the honorable minister were not convincing for us, we asked the minister a question."

The representative of the people of Nehbandan and Sarbisheh in the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated: More than 20 representatives have signed a draft question from the Minister of Roads and this draft has also been announced by the Presidium of the Assembly and it is the turn of the commission.

But many economic actors in South Khorasan are still waiting for the reopening of this strategic road, and see the improvement of this road as playing a role in faster access to southern ports.

Ahmad Parvin, Deputy Chairman of the Birjand Chamber of Commerce Mining Commission, stated: The Nehbandan-Shohada road is practically the way to access and send most of the Nehbandan mines to Bandar Abbas, and export-oriented products pass through this route to be sent to Bandar Abbas.

The importance of Nehbandan-Shahdad road for Nehbandan miners

He stated: "But when this route is closed, we will have to send our cargo from Birjand to Kerman and from there to Bandar Abbas, and the increase of 400 km transportation distance will naturally increase our fare costs."

The mining activist in South Khorasan said: "This also applies to the transportation of minerals to Yazd and Isfahan and که which increases the alternative route."

Hamed Karimpour, president of the Birjand Freight Transportation Employers Association, also said: "The route from Nehbandan to Shohada shortens the distance from Nehbandan and South Khorasan to the southern provinces and Bandar Abbas, and is therefore very valuable for the transport fleet."

He stated: Of course, the part of the axis that was destroyed by the flood is in the geographical area of ​​Kerman province, but last year the representatives of Nehbandan and Sarbisheh had consultations in this regard, which led to the presence of relevant officials to visit this axis.

An axis that shortened the way to the southern provinces

Karimpour, pointing out that a long length of the road has been destroyed by water and floods, the reconstruction of which is costly, continued: "Of course, if the conditions for reusing the transport fleet can be provided through this route, it will undoubtedly reduce our distance and Less fuel will also be consumed.

Mohammad Farhadi, Deputy Governor of South Khorasan, also stated in this regard: "Unfortunately, due to the rains of the past years, the road from Nehbandan to Shahdad was blocked and somehow overshadowed Nehbandan's connection with Kerman province."

He stated: "Numerous follow-ups have been done, but it seems that due to credit issues, nothing special has happened in this field so far."

Assadollah Jalalzadeh, Director General of Highways and Road Transport of South Khorasan, pointing out that the destroyed part of the axis is mostly in the Kerman province, said: "Five kilometers of this axis has become a swamp and lake."

240 billion tomans are needed to improve the Nehbandan-Shahdad road

He stated that last year 6 billion Tomans was considered for the studies of this axis, and said: This road has very heavy buildings and that the required credit for the construction of this part of the road is estimated at 240 billion Tomans.

The Director General of Highways and Road Transport of South Khorasan said: "According to the latest information, the plan has been sent to the Ministry and the Program and Budget Organization to receive credit, but this credit will not naturally be allocated for one or two years."

Jalalzadeh said: "Correspondence signed by the then governor of South Khorasan and the current governor has been done for follow-up, but it should be considered the amount of rain and flood and destruction in that area over the past 120 years based on information obtained from local areas unprecedented." have been.

He said: "In my opinion, maybe Kerman province has a priority beyond this axis and they prefer to spend on those axes and priorities, but in any case, my colleagues in Kerman province are also pursuing this project, but credit restrictions have created problems for them." .

Five kilometers of credit

Director General of Highways and Road Transport continued: 6 billion Tomans that we said for the studies of this axis is intended for the lowest possible case and 240 billion Tomans is the cost of implementing only these five kilometers.

Jalalzadeh said: "Of course, colleagues in the two provinces of South Khorasan and Kerman, until they want to work for that axis, there will be another rain, and for example, according to the information received, recent rains in Kerman province have had a negative and destructive effect."

In any case, what is certain is that providing conditions for the re-use of the transport fleet on this axis requires further consultation between the two provinces of Kerman and South Khorasan and the allocation of national funds for it. Hopefully this will happen in the new government.