Explanation of the Regional Requirements in the Development of Chabahar

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
A. Abdi 1
Y. Safavi 2
M. O. O. Hosseinbor 3
M. namdarzade 4
1 Associate Professor of Political Geography, Faculty, Geography, University, Kharazmi, Tehran, Iran
2 Professor of Military Geography and Geopolitics, Imam Hossein (AS) University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
4 Student of political geography, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
10.48311/psp.6.3.85
Abstract
ntroduction

One of the basic goals in regional planning and sustainable development is its impact on the local community and ethnic groups, so that if the development plans are in line with the demands (economic, political and social) of the local community. This strategy can play a significant role in strengthening convergence, security and sustainable development at the local and national levels. The main purpose of the current research is to investigate the most important regional requirements in regional development with a focus on the development of Chabahar port. The research shows that the category of regional development in strategic areas cannot be achieved without taking into account the regional requirements and its internal space which lead to the realization of development goals, that is, promotion of security, development and convergence at the local and national level.

Methodology

Data gathering procedure is based on library and field findings methods. The concepts were repeated and the subsequent samples did not contain new information. Qualitative method of analysis is used to analyze the data using grounded theory. The interviews were carefully coded, classified, analyzed and interpreted in several stages.

Results and discussion

One of the main factors of the presence of regionalist tendencies in the southeast region and the lack of government attention to solve the existing challenges of the people is the dominance of the security view over other views of governance. Based on the analysis of research findings and interviews, the basic preconditions in the development of Chabahar are to pay attention to strengthening the security of the region in the southeast of the country with scientific strategies and policies and in accordance with local demands and national identity. The government has a direct and fundamental role in creating regional security for the development of Chabahar. In such a way that the strategies and policy-making should lead to the creation of constructive interaction between the national government and the local community, the satisfaction of the local community, social cohesion and national convergence.

Development thinkers consider the participation of social groups in development programs and competent management for guidance and leadership as one of the most important platforms for balanced and fair development in any social system. Based on the analysis of research findings and interviews, the design of plans and policies in the development of Chabahar should promote the participation of the local community (elite chieftains, maulvis and elders, academics and educated people of the southeast) in planning and decision making.

In the current situation and the trend of population growth in Chabahar, most of the new settlements, especially in the free zone, are inhabited by non-native and prosperous people, and the more we move towards the outskirts of the city, the Baluch tribes live in poor standards of living. In the current situation, although with the establishment of Chabahar commercial-industrial free zone, capacities for development have been created, but due to the fact that this free zone lacked long-term planning and social connections from the beginning, undesirable economic, social and physical phenomena, including separation have brought social selection and unbalanced development.

Considering the location and identity of the Baluch people in the southeast region and Sistan and Baluchistan province, the separation of Makran and Chabahar regions in the form of the creation of the new Chabahar province leads to skepticism, mistrust and the reaction of elites (Majlis representatives, clerics, generals, etc.) And this situation is not in favor of the central government. This issue can lead to tension and insecurity in the southeast region and slow down the development process of Chabahar. Also, the creation of Makran province centered on the city of Chabahar and the port of Chabahar take the attention and support from the central government and absolute centralism in the long term considering the weaknesses in budget distribution, lack of goal-oriented planning and the international capacities of the Makran and Chabahar region.

Regional development programs such as Chabahar Free Zone programs have not had a serious and tangible impact in different sectors (economic, health, education and infrastructure) in Chabahar city and the region. This situation has caused various challenges such as dissatisfaction with the government, spread of informal jobs, unemployment, marginalization, etc. The regional development plans and the development of Chabahar should be designed and formulated in such a way that it leads to the promotion and progress of various sectors of the province's development (economic, health, education, sports and infrastructure).

Conclusions

The results of the research showed that the category of regional development in strategic areas and different from the main body of the government, regardless of the requirements of its internal space, especially in the cultural (ethnic-religious) dimension, cannot achieve the main goals of development, i.e. improving security, national development and survival. The development of Chabahar port, as the country's only oceanic port on the shores of the Sea of ​​Oman and the Indian Ocean is an outstanding plan in enhancing Iran's geopolitical weight at the local, national and international levels. Based on the interpretation and analysis of the research findings, the realization of Chabahar's regional development goals and the actualization of its valuable capacities require attention to its regional requirements: regional security category, regional participation category, spatial justice, political trust, balanced and network development, stability of political divisions, category of ethnic cohesion, category of infrastructural development.

Keywords

Subjects

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