Tehran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered the sacking of local officials "indifferent" to the problems of ordinary Iranians, as he seeks to fulfill pledges ahead of crucial elections, the press reported today. Ahmadinejad has made provincial issues a central plank of his presidency, visiting all of Iran s 30 provinces and giving speeches promising drastic improvements in local infrastructure.

"We will soon send a secret letter to provincial governors with the names of officials who should be encouraged," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the hardline Kayhan newspaper.

"But also there will be the names of officials who are indifferent. As soon as the governors receive this letter they must sack these officials," said Ahmadinejad. He added that other officials would be rebuked for showing "weakness" in their work.

Many economists in Iran have accused Ahmadinejad of stoking its inflation problems by ploughing windfall revenues from high oil prices into local infrastructure projects. But the government insists that it is merely fulfilling Ahmadinejad s election promises of making ordinary people feel the benefits of oil wealth and has inflation under control.

The revelation of the order comes after Ahmadinejad s advisors said on yesterday that the president would soon embark on another round of provincial trips to chase up on the fulfillment of the promised projects. Ahmadinejad was also quoted as saying today that Iran would move against elements who claimed that people in the Islamic republic were suffering economic problems.

Source : PTI