Involuntary Resettlement

BAN: Second Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project
Resettlement Framework and Resettlement Plans

The project aims to help reduce poverty in the rural communities in 23 districts in north and central Bangladesh. The impact will be realized through:

• enhanced access by the rural communities to basic services
• increased on-farm income due to greater availability of agriculture inputs, such as fertilizer and high-yielding seed varieties
• enhanced women empowerment
• improved local governance

The increased economic opportunities will be achieved through participatory improvement of sustainable rural infrastructure, social and gender development, and improved local governance in the project area by targeting the poor.

The project area, totaling 47,152 square kilometers (sq km), has a population of 55.9 million accounting for 45% of the country’s total. The project area was chosen because of the extensive poverty and the low level of development in the region. In the three divisions (Rajshahi, Dhaka and Chittagong) where the 23 districts are located, about 55% of the total rural population live below the poverty line, higher than the national average of nearly 50%. Of the existing subdistrict roads, only 30% are in good condition, and of the 806 GCMs, about 50% need to be improved.

The project will upgrade about 1,360 km of subdistrict roads, 550 km of union roads, 3,650 km of village roads, 160 rural markets and 175 union council complexes. The project would also provide for the strengthening of the capability of the local government units. These complementary elements of the rural infrastructure will provide local communities effective transport to markets and access to social services. Investments in the project will effectively reduce poverty (by about 7%) as small farmers and the functionally landless will gain from additional employment, particularly of women. The improved rural road network will lead to increased motorized and non motorized transport services, lower transport costs for goods and passengers, substantial savings in vehicle operating costs, and an overall increase in traffic volumes (by about 70%). The project will result in an improved environment through the planting and maintaining of trees along the roads and from the more effective drainage facilities.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) prepared the resettlement framework [ PDF ] to guide any unforeseen land acquisition and resettlement planning during project implementation. LGED also prepared resettlement plans for the three core subprojects that provide the specific resettlement scope of these subprojects while also serving as models for addressing potential resettlement issues for future subprojects.

• Full Resettlement Plan for Mominpur-Dugdugirhaat, Rangpur [ PDF 295kb : 52 pages ]
• Short Resettlement Plan for Improvement of Churkhai-Dapunia-Khardair Road Mymensing Sadar, Mymensing [ PDF 128kb : 19 pages ]
• Short Resettlement Plan for Tarakanda-Shyamganj Road, Fulpur, Mymensing [ PDF 143kb : 19 pages ]