Himachal Pradesh State Roads Public Disclosure Authorized Transformation Program (Funded by World Bank) Baddi-Sai-Ramshahr (Km 11.00 to KM 45.00) Environment and Social Impact Assessment Public Disclosure Authorized (Draft) Public Disclosure Authorized HIMACHAL PRADESH ROAD & OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LTD. Public Disclosure Authorized (Government of Himachal Pradesh Undertaking) (An ISO 9001:2008 QMS & ISO 14001:2004 EMS conforming company) December 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 6 Chapter 1 – Introduction .......................................................................................................... 13 1.1 Project Description ................................................................................................................ 13 1.2 Sub-Project Road – Baddi to Sai to Ramshahr ..................................................................... 14 1.3 Proposed Improvement ......................................................................................................... 17 1.4 Purpose of ESIA ................................................................................................................... 25 1.5 Scope of the ESIA ................................................................................................................. 25 1.6 Approach and Methodology.................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 2 – Legal and Institutional Framework ...................................................................... 30 2.1 Applicable Regulations of GOI/GoHP ................................................................................. 30 2.2 World Bank ESF Policy, Directives and Standards – Extent of Relevance .......................... 37 2.3 Comparison of GoI/GoHP legislations and ESF, 2016 ......................................................... 45 2.4 Clearances/Permissions required for the Project Road ......................................................... 49 2.5 Institutional Framework ........................................................................................................ 51 Chapter 3 Baseline Data........................................................................................................... 53 3.1 Land Environment ................................................................................................................ 54 3.2 Physical Environment ........................................................................................................... 66 3.3 Biological Environment ........................................................................................................ 76 3.4 Cultural Environment .......................................................................................................... 100 3.5 Hazard and Vulnerability Profile ........................................................................................ 100 Chapter 4 – Stakeholder consultations & information disclosure ......................................... 109 Chapter 5 – Analysis of Alternatives ..................................................................................... 118 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 118 5.2 With and Without Project Alternatives ............................................................................... 118 5.3 Environmental and Social considerations during design .................................................... 120 CHAPTER 6 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL RISKS AND IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................................................................. 122 6.1 …related to Assessment and Management of E&S risk and impact (ESS 1): ................... 122 6.2 … relating to Labor and working conditions (ESS 2) ......................................................... 123 6.3 …relating to Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management (ESS 3) .... 126 6.4 …E&S risks and impacts relating to Community Health and Safety (ESS 4) ................. 146 6.5 …on land & assets (ESS 5) ................................................................................................. 153 6.6 … relating to Bio-diversity & Living Natural Resources (ESS 6) ...................................... 155 6.7 … on Tribals/Indigenous Population (ESS 7) ..................................................................... 158 1 | Page 6.8 … on impacts on Cultural Heritage (ESS 8) ....................................................................... 158 CHAPTER 7 –ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ........................ 160 2 | Page LIST OF APPENDICES 1 List of the individuals/organizations that prepared/ contributed to ESIA. 2 References Summary table of Consultations and surveys with stakeholders (affected persons other interested 3 parties) Comparison of ESF, RFCTLARR Act 2013 and GoHP Financial Commissioner Standing Order No. 4 28 and Measures to address gaps 5 List of applicable Labour laws 6 Details Of Settlements, Cross Drainage Structures, Junctions Along the Project Road 7 Alignment Plan & Profile of Project Road 8 Strip Plan of Project Road Showing Existing Features 9 Transect Walk Survey Formats 10 Ecological Investigations along the Project Road Corridor 11 Photographs Of Sensitive Locations of the Project Road 12 Environmental Monitoring Test Results GoHP’s Strategy To Rehabilitate Areas Infested With Invasive Alien Plant Species (Exotic Weeds) In 13 Himachal Pradesh 14 Village Wise - Census & Economic Details 15 Village Wise - Amenities 16 Census Questionnaires 17 Socio-Economic Questionnaires 18 Attendance Sheet of Stakeholder Consultations 19 Photographs of Stakeholder Consultations 20 Checklist for Community Consultations 21 Gender Based Focused Group Discussion Checklist 22 Material Quantities, Cut and Fill Areas and Volumes 3 | Page ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CGWB Central Ground Water Board CHS Plan Community Health and Safety Plan COI Corridor of Impact CPCB Central Pollution Control Board CRRI Central Road Research Institute Cum Cubic Meter DoE Department of Environment DC District Commissioner EHSGs Environment Health and Safety Guidelines ESIA Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ESF Environment and Social Framework ESS Environment and Social Standard EMP Environmental Management Plan ESMP Environmental Social Management Plan ESCP Environment and Social Commitment Plan FPIC Free Prior and Informed Consultation FGDs Focus Group Discussions GDP Gross Domestic Product GoI Government of India GoHP Government of Himachal Pradesh GRC Grievances Redress Committee GRM Grievances Redress Management GBV Gender Based Violence HPPWD Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department HPRIDP Himachal Pradesh Road and Other Infrastructure Development Corporation HPSRTP Himachal Pradesh State Road Transformation Project/ IRC Indian Road Congress LMP Labour Management Procedure MDRs Major District Roads MoEF Ministry of Environment and Forests MSL Mean Sea Level MT Metric Tonne MW Mega Watt NGO Non-Government Organization NH National Highway NOx Oxides of Nitrogen NSDP Net State Domestic Product OHS Plan Occupational Health and Safety Plan PAP Project Affected Person PIU Project Implementation Unit PMC Project Management Consultant RAP Resettlement Action Plan RFCTLARR Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Act Resettlement RoW Right of Way SEP Stakeholder Engagement Plan SEIAA State Environmental Impact Assessment Agency SGWB State Ground Water Board 4 | Page SH State Highway SO2 Sulphur Dioxide SC Schedule Caste ST Schedule Tribe WB The World Bank 5 | Page Executive Summary 1.0 Project Description 1. GoHP’s program for transforming state level transport institutions, improving mobility and logistics for horticulture and overall economic growth in HP, connecting HP to the Bharatmala network, and enhancing Road Safety, sets the goal for the institutional transformation envisaged to be implemented under the proposed project. The proposed Project Development Objective is to enhance the efficiency of the transportation, logistics and Road Safety institutions to stimulate horticulture and overall economic growth in Himachal Pradesh. 2. The proposed operation comprises the following: Component 1: Building HP’s Transport and Logistics Institutions, and Resilience; Component 2 - Component 2. Improving priority MDRs stimulating HP’s horticulture and overall economic growth. This component will finance upgrading priority target collector roads/MDRs. Component 3: Enhancing Road Safety. Under Component 2 upgrading of approximately 78.2 km of roads connecting small holding farmers production and primary processing clusters to wholesale markets/SME clusters. The implementation of the core initiatives of the project is expected to result in: i) Improved efficiency of transport and logistics institutions; ii) Reduction in maintenance expenditure; iii) Reduction in transport cost for transporting products from production clusters to SME/wholesale markets along the project roads; iv) Reduction in road accident fatalities per 100,000 population in pilot areas. 2.0 Sub-project road– Baddi to Sai to Ramshahr