• ~~~ection " THE WORLD BANK 103112 IP Panel IBRD -IDA I WORLDBANKGROUP GONZALO CASTRO DE LA MATA Chairman The I nspection Panel IPN REQUEST RQ 15/06 Public Disclosure Authorized February 02,2016 MEMORANDUM TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT Request for Inspection India: Andhra Pradesh Road Sector Project (096021) and National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project (121185) Public Disclosure Authorized Notice of Non-Registration Summary 1. On December 18, 2015, the Panel received a Request for Inspection sent by community members from several localities in East Godavari District of the State of Andhra Pradesh, India, claiming harms caused by the involuntary resettlement in the context of the widening of National Highway 216, allegedly financed by the World Bank, After conducting its due diligence, the Panel determined that the alleged harms are not linked to any projects or any other operation supported by IBRD or IDA. The Panel therefore decided not to register the Request. Public Disclosure Authorized The Request 2. In accordance with paragraph 17 of the Resolution! establishing the Inspection Panel (the "Panel"), I hereby inform you that on December 18,2015, the Panel received two Requests for Inspection, followed by 28 additional ones (collectively referred to as "the Request"), sent by community members from Amalapuram, Anathavaram, Bhatnavili, Bodasakurru, Chippalapalem, Peruru, Yanam and other localities. in East Godavari District of the State of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Request claims harms to the local indigenous community caused by the involuntary resettlement process implemented in the context of the widening of National Highway 216 ("NH 216", formerly known as NH 214), allegedly financed by the World Bank. 3. The community members (the "Requesters") from the affected villages submitted the Request on behalf of over eighty affected persons. One of them alleged "hundreds of thousands of innocent poor victims" will be forcibly relocated because of a rerouting of a road into areas Public Disclosure Authorized where they have their dwellings as a result of the widening ofNH 216. They state that they are 1 The W orld Bank Inspection Panel, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Resolution No. IBRD 93-10, dated September 22, 1993. 1818 H Street, N.w" Washington DC 20433 -2- very poor and are "likely to suffer harm as the World Bank not recognized the rights and interests of several indigenous people and the harm caused to us." Some of the Requesters asked that their identities be kept confidential. The Projects 4. The Andhra Pradesh Road Sector Project is a specific investment loan approved on October 15, 2009. Total project cost is approximately USD550 Million, out of which the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD or the "Bank") is financing USD264 Million. 5. According to the Project Appraisal Document, the project's development objective is "to provide better quality, capacity and safe roads to users in a sustainable manner through enhanced institutional capacity of the Andhra Pradesh government in the road sector." One of the project's components comprises two activities designed to upgrade and maintain the core road network including: (a) upgrading about 429 km of priority state highways (284 km in Phase I and 145 km in Phase II) under public sector financing; and (b) maintenance of 6,241 km of the core road network. The project does not support works on National Highways (including NH 216), which belong to a different road network than State highways. 6. The National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP) is also a specific investment loan, approved on October 29, 2013. Total project cost is approximately USD 1,146 Million, out of which the Bank is financing USD500 Million. 7. The Project Appraisal Document for the NHIIP states that the project's development objective is "to improve the National Highway network connectivity to less-developed areas and low-income states (. .)." According to this document, the civil works will benefit five states: Bihar, Orissa, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Rajasthan. The NHIIP does not support road-widening activities in Andhra Pradesh. Concerns Raised in the Request 8. The Requesters allege that the World Bank is supporting the road-widening activities on National Highway 216. They state that the planned road design includes alternative routing that are badly designed. They also state that along NH 216 there is "abundant straight line [with] freely available paddy fields vacant." However, instead of using such vacant fields, the design shows "roads turn Itwist either 'Z' Curve or'S' Curve" with the expectation that it would encroach on their assets and result in their displacement. 9. They also claim that this design is based on a 2,010 survey which does not adequately reflect actual land-use along the road. They add that the road works were not awarded the required environmental permits. 10. Some Requesters state that they are of the "vysyas'" cast, while others state that they are "backward class." They add that some houses are already marked for demolition, and that 2 The Arya Vysyas are a Trading caste of Southem India, who primarily spread from Andhra Pradesh to other parts of Southern India, mainly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The community has traditionally been engaged in business or trade. -3- the four-lane alignment will cause loss of livelihood to various indigenous people, including Dravidian a~d Settibalija, which is against World Bank policies. 11. They also state that after complaining to the competent authority and the local Member of Parliament, they were told, "go and tell the World Bank." They urge the Panel to "save our lives, our relocation, our livelihood, the integrity and sovereignty of the country ( ... J." Panel's Determination 12. In accordance with its Operating Procedures, dated April 2014, immediately after receiving the Request, the Panel issued a Notice of Receipt on its web site. The Panel conducted its due diligence by reviewing the information contained in the Request and Project documents. The Panel met with Bank Management on January 15, 2016, to seek corroboration of the results of its due diligence. During the meeting, Bank Management clarified that the World Bank is not financing the widening of NH 216 and shared with the Panel an email letter from the Andhra Pradesh Road Development Corporation, confirming that works on NH 216 are not supported by the Bank project it is implementing. 13. The Panel determined that neither of the Projects are financing road works on the National Highway NH 216, and therefore concluded that the Request does not meet all of the admissibility criteria for Registration. In light of the foregoing and in accordance with the Panel Resolution, its Clarifications, and its Operating Procedures, the Panel is not registering the Request for Inspection. 14. The Panel notes that, if in the future, the road mentioned in the Request comes to be supported by Bank financing, the Panel would be in a position to reassess the existence of a plausible link between a Bank-supported Project and the alleged harms. Hence, in such a case, the Requesters retain their right to re-submit a Request for Inspection concerning the issues raised. Yours sincerely, Gonzalo Castro de la Mata Chairman Attachment Mr. Jim Yong Kim, President International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The Executive Directors and Alternates International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Request for Inspection Inspection Panel From: Sent: y, e To: Inspection Panel Subject: PRAYER TO THE INSPECTION PANEL TO RUSH_ _- TO OUR VILLAGE ANATHARVARAM I Attachments: g; solution mapJpg; village • II Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged Request for Inspection to the Inspection panel of the World bank from India Sent from ctimlS Name: Anathavaram M!sh State India Dear SirlMadam, I have no words to express my regret to your kind perusal to place the statement of facts about the severe harm being done to my life, my family and my entire community of the indigenous people. When sir Arthur Cotton visited this region of famine, he constructed a dam on the river Godavari and made this peninsula as a rich fertile belt. Otherwise people used to sell their children for the alms, Cotton as a God gave us food and life. But the greedy politicians told all lies to the World Bank and deputed all alcoholics and drug addicts, untrained civil engineers holding fake degrees and joined the Mis Feed back infra being the appointed surveyors of National Highway authorities ofIndia and you can understand the plan how badly they twisted the route map of the NH 216. As a result entire region is suffering and do not know how to life. Hence being a senior citizen and already got a stroke because of this sad forcible relocation news, my wife also suffered severe heart stroke, and are going to die just to appease the World bank by blind rulers of India and the sleeping world bank Representative in New Delhi. I am not angry on you, almost it is my suicide note. So I beg your esteemed selves to kindly air dash to India and visit the village and know the heart beat of the people. Our village namely Anathavaram, the people elected civic head already passed a resolution stating that to lay the NH 216 or what ever, through the freely available Government Land for which they have given a nice solution map in which green color marking is a vacant Government land. Red color is being drawn by the drug addicts of Mis .Feed Back infra. Please save our lives from this forcible relocation and losing our livelihood. thanking you yours sincerely 1 EXtJ:UTlVE SECRETARY, The'inspection panel, 1811J H street NW MSN 10-1007, Walhington 9.C.