Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – August 17, 1992

First, the officials and representatives of Qazvin came and raised their demands. We went to the International Islamic University [Imam Khomeini (RA)]. The minister [of culture and higher education] and its president also came.

The officials of Qazvin criticized the inactivity of the university. Its director considered the slowness to be the result of the non-approval of the master plan, which was written for the final admission of twenty-seven thousand students. They hope to get land in a better place. In the amphitheater, I spoke to the staff about the goals of the university. By merging in the Dehkhoda Higher Education Center, the place that is a good building is used.

We flew with a helicopter to visit the Qazvin plain plan. We saw the 2nd, 3rd and 4th canals and fields and gardens from space and landed in the villages of Mehdi Abad and Kamal Abad. The people gathered. I asked many questions about their work and life situation. They mostly complained about the price of water, which has become expensive recently. It seems that with such good water and land and good government services, they expect more. Usually, they had many children and their wives did not have proper jobs.

We disembarked next to the South Abek swamp. The people of the surrounding villages gathered. They asked for government facilities for water and electricity and roads. It seemed to me that if this land and water were in Rafsanjan, all of it would have turned into a pistachio garden and would have created a good life for the people. Unfortunately, the unhesitating services of the government in these areas have caused the residents and even the Yazidis who have gone there to not make the necessary effort.

We flew over Kowsar's thousand-hectare garden. The International University [Imam Khomeini] wants to take this garden from the Veterans Foundation for the university. He is very cheerful and active; It is better to leave the garden.

We went to Taleghan Dam. Engineers explained. The studies are finished and the documents are ready for bidding. It is built to store 460 million cubic meters of water per year for Tehran, Karaj, Abek and Qazvin agriculture. After noon prayer, I did the final interview of the trip, which was very detailed.

After lunch and rest, Imam Juma came to Taleghan. He asked us to go to the town or center of Taleghan; I accepted We went in the evening and I gave a short speech in a small group of people; It is an interesting valley. We flew to Tehran with helicopters. I arrived home at half past six in the afternoon. Yasir and Mehdi have returned from their trip. Chastity has not yet come from the trip to Mashhad.