Social Monitoring Report December 2017 (April to November 2017) BAN: SASEC Chittagong–Cox’s Bazar Railway Project, Phase 1-Tranche 1 Prepared by Bangladesh Railway for the Government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 14 December 2017) Currency unit – Bangladesh Taka (BDT) BDT1.00 = $ 0.01211 $1.00 = BDT 82.58 ABBREVIATIONS ADB : Asian Development Bank AH : Affected Household AP : Affected Person BR : Bangladesh Railway COI : Corridor of Impact CPR : Common Property Recourses CCL : Cash Compensation under Law DC : Deputy Commissioner DPP : Development Project Proposal EA : Executing Agency EC : Entitlement Card EP : Entitle Person FGD : Focus Group Discussion GOB : Government of Bangladesh GRC : Grievance Redress Committee GRM : Grievance Redress Mechanism ILRP : Income and Livelihood Restoration Program INGO : Implementing Non-Government Organization IOL : Inventory of Losses JVC : Joint Verification Committee LA : Land Acquisition LAP : Land Acquisition Plan/Proposal NTH : Non-Titled Holder PAPs : Project Affected Persons PVAC : Property Valuation Advisory Committee CSC : Construction Supervision Consultant RB : Resettlement Benefit RP : Resettlement Plan ROW : Right of Way SASEC : South Asian Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation TH : Titled Holder Household This social monitoring report is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 1 I. INTRODUCTION, PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES ............................................. 3 A. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3 B. Project description ..................................................................................................................... 3 C. Project Objective ....................................................................................................................... 3 II. METHODOLOGY FOR PREPARING THE SOCIAL MONITORING REPORT (SMR) ................ 5 A. Main Features ........................................................................................................................... 5 B. Documents reviewed ................................................................................................................. 5 C. Field visits ................................................................................................................................. 5 III. RESETTLEMENT PLAN AND IMPACTS ............................................................................... 5 A. Resettlement Plan Preparation and Objectives ....................................................................... 5 B. Objectives of RP ..................................................................................................................... 6 C. Revision of Alignment as well as revised Land Acquisition ..................................................... 6 D. Resettlement Plan Implementation Arrangements .................................................................. 7 E. Land Acquisition (LA) ............................................................................................................. 9 F. Compensations and Resettlement benefits payments to Titled Holders (THs) and Non-Title Holders (NTH) ............................................................................................................................... 9 G. Common Property Resources .............................................................................................. 10 H. Income and Livelihood Restoration Program (ILRP) ............................................................. 10 I. Participation in construction activities ................................................................................... 10 J. Consultation, Information Campaign and Participatory Process ........................................... 10 K. Grievance Redress Mechanism ............................................................................................ 11 IV. LESSON – LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................. 11 V. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 12 ANNEXURE: Annexure 1: Role and Composition of Key Committees .................................................................. 13 Annexure 2: Consultation Meetings with Project Affected Persons, Discussion and Main Outcome 14 Annexure 3: Affected Common Property Resources ....................................................................... 27 Annexure 4: Abstract of NGO’s Focus Group Discussion/Consultation Meetings ............................ 29 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: RP May 2016 (Summary of LA and Resettlement Impacts) ................................................. 5 Table 2: Revised LAPs ...................................................................................................................... 6 Table 3: Summary of Land Acquisition .............................................................................................. 9 LIST OF FIGURE Figure 1: Project Location Map Single Line Dual Gauge Railway Track from Dohazari to Cox’s Bazar ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. This is the second Social Monitoring Report (SMR) prepared under this project. The first report covered October 2016 to March 2017 and this second SMR covers April 2017 to November 2017. This Social Monitoring Report presents the status of the activities of the implementation of the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Plan (RP) of SASEC Chittagong – Cox’s Bazar Railway Project, Phase 1-Tranche 1. 2. The Chittagong to Cox’s Bazar project will build 100.831 km of single gauge railway line from Dohazari, in Chittagong district to Cox’s Bazar in Cox’s Bazar District. The project will provide efficient, comfortable and safe transportation from the Capital city of Dhaka to the touristic city of Cox’s Bazar. The project is financed by the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh through financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which approved the project in September 2016. 3. 4. The project will require private and public land to construct the new and other facilities. The resettlement impacts include but are not limited to (i) permanent loss of residential and commercial structures, (ii) loss of income and livelihood, and (iii) permanent loss of agricultural, residential and commercial land. 5. A census survey was conducted from October to November 2013 and it was updated in February 2016 due to adjustment of alignment. 6. The detailed design and census survey conducted during project preparation revealed that a total of 1,984 households will be impacted by the project. The resettlement impacts include: (i) 562.83 hectares of land to be acquired; (ii) the physical relocation of 1,569 households among whom 1032 are Title holders; (ii) the relocation of 537of informal, non-titled households; (iii) 415 households who will be economically affected; (iv)43 affected Common Property Resources (CPRs): (v) 12 encroachers; (vi) 160 affected renters. A Total of 984 vulnerable households were identified during the census survey. 7. The impacts are significant and the Project is categorized as “A” according to the ADB SPS 2009. 8. While the proposed alignment is planned as per the design of the Land Acquisition Plans (LAPs), land acquisition along certain areas have been revised and some impacts were mitigated. 9. At present, the Land Acquisition Proposals have been proposed and are being revised by the Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. As a result, the revised quantity of total private and public land is 553.5896 hectares(1367.3664 acres) to be acquired. This includes 147.5468 hectares of land under Chittagong District and 406.04287 hectares of land under Cox’s Bazar District. Public land mostly include Department of Forest land, which will be transferred through inter-ministerial system. 10. A Resettlement Plan (RP) was prepared in accordance with ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) and the Acquisition and Requisition of Immovable Property Ordinance 1982 (ARIPO) based on the Engineering design and census survey. The RP was approved and disclosed by ADB on its website in May 2016 and by the Ministry of Railway on 17 August 2016. 2 11. Bangladesh Railway with the support of the Government of Bangladesh agreed to follow the key principles of the ADB Safeguard Policy Statement: (i) to avoid involuntary resettlement wherever possible; (ii) to minimize involuntary resettlement by exploring project and design alternatives; (iii) to enhance, or at least restore, the livelihoods of all displaced persons in real terms relative to pre-project levels; and (iv) to improve the standards of living of the displaced