[sustran] FW: [NGOForum] ADB REJECTS STDP (GSS) Inspection Request - Sri La nka

[Paul Barter]

Dear sustran-discussers
Here is information on a hot highway issue in Sri Lanka that may be of
interest to some on this list.
I have not attached the zipped filed mentioned below but if any of you are
interested in this case then I can forward them.
Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: Bobet Corral [mailto:vpcorral at pacific.net.ph] 
Sent: Wednesday, 24 April 2002 9:43 AM
To: forumonadb at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [NGOForum] ADB REJECTS STDP (GSS) Inspection Request - Sri Lanka


On March 14, 2002, villagers from all along the planned route of the
Southern Expressway Matara came to Colombo to protest against the building
of the road.  They came to show the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan
Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), who are the main financiers of
the road, how much they are suffering because of the road project. 
Hundreds of people from 12 villages -- Akmeemana in the South,
Kurundugaha-hatekma, Bandaragama, Polgasovita, Galanigama, Palpola,
Gamagoda, Dodangoda, Pantota, Elpitiya, Etkadura, Kokmadoowa, Sultanagoda
-- are angry with the way the Road Development Authority (RDA) had thrown
aside the original project plans as a result of alleged influence by the
past Government to make the road avoid the land of Government ministers and
friends. This campaign was organised by the Sri Lankan Working Group on ADB.


Representatives of the Villagers met with Mr John Cooney, Resident
Representative of ADB, and Mr Naomi Miwa, Chief Representative of JBIC.
They were able to explain at least to some extent their problems.

Road project description
The STDP Project is an ADB co-financed project, which includes the
construction of a 128-km controlled access expressway from Colombo to the
southern city of Galle, which will link up with an existing coastal road in
Matara.  ADB is providing a US$ 90 million loan approved in November 1999
for 55 km of this expressway, with JBIC providing funds for the rest of the
stretch.  The construction of the road aims to help catalyze economic growth
in the southern region of Sri Lanka in general and reduce traffic and
accidents on the coastal road.

Houses, paddy lands, home gardens to be destroyed
The number of houses to be destroyed under the RDA plans has now reached
1100 before counting those in Akmeemana and Bandaragama.  The estimate is
for a further 600 at least from these two places which, when added, will be
a total of 1700 houses to be destroyed, from the original consultants'
estimate of a maximum 622 houses. 
The RDA has also put the road through highly productive paddy and home
gardens rather than unused lands.  Residents say that the RDA Officers do
this so that they can sell or use the timber and the materials from the
destroyed houses.
Villagers say that the Government is being totally misled by the RDA.  The
Government position seems to be that the people are unaware of the
'wonderful' compensation package and that if they knew, they would give up
their lands and homes.  The villagers have been cheated and harassed by the
RDA and are in no mood to co-operate with them.
The ADB and JBIC are giving long term loans to cover the cost.   Although
the Bank insists that their guidelines for minimum house destruction be
included in their contract with the government, so far it has not insisted
that the RDA follow these same guidelines.  The people feel that it is a
duty of the Bank to protect them from Government Officers' misdeeds.

Other violations of ADB policies
Public consultation that the EIA process has entirely broken down. In at
least two places the Road is being run in areas where no Environmental
Impact Assessment has been done.  These are the biggest villages on the
route.
There are four human rights cases pending on the issue of the road.
Breaking the law to destroy their communities is wrong, the villagers say.
They claim they were cheated of their rights.

Villagers file ADB Inspection Request 
Affected communities from Kahatuduwa, Gelenigama and Akmeemana have filed
separate requests from Inspection at the ADB.   The first of four Requesters
-- Gama Surakeema Sanvidhanaya (GSS) - filed a formal complaint in August
2001, addressed to ADB President Tadao Chino.  
In order to send the actual Inspection Request, the community of Gelanigama
had to ask for the ADB to send them the policies relevant to the project.
These policies were not available in the community's local language and due
to the lack of resources, the community had to ask for help from an
environmental lawyer from outside Sri Lanka. 
There have been delays in the inspection process, which give the RDA a
chance to acquire all the land before even inspection has started.  The Land
Officer had informed the complainants that RDA will complete the southern
50% of the acquisition by end-March. 

ADB rejects Inspection Request
ADB Management responded to the GSS complaint on February 11, 2002
dismissing the allegations as unfounded and not attributable to the Bank.
The Bank claimed that the allegations against the ADB were not supported by
sufficient evidence, and that the GSS failed to demonstrate "direct and
material adverse effect caused by ADB."  On April 15, the villagers of
Gelanigama received word that their Inspection Request had been rejected by
the ADB.  
GSS maintains that the grounds for the Bank's response are incorrect, and
have promptly conveyed this to the Bank. GSS also feels that the Bank
management's response was extremely legalistic and showed little sense of
duty or regard for the Requesters.  
Meanwhile, the second request from families living in the Akmeemana district
is up for ADB Board decision on April 29.

Compiled by the NGO Forum on ADB with information from Sri Lanka Working
Group on ADB, 
Heather and Cyril Mundy of GSS and Jessica Rossien of Bank Information
Center. 
 
! ;                                        For more information, contact: 
Heather and Cyril Mundy
Gama Surakeema Sanvidhanaya (GSS)
Gelanigama, Bandaragama,
Sri Lanka
email: ggama at mail.ewisl.net or cyrilmundy at mail.ewisl.net
 
Attached zipped files --
1-  STDP Briefer, Prepared by NGO FORUM, April 2002 (with pictures from Sri
Lanka Working Group on ADB)
2-  GSS response to ADB rejection of Inspection Request (16 April 2002)
3- ADB Board Inspection Report on GSS Inspection Request (21 March 2002),
excerpts prepared by NGO Forum on ADB
4-  Fax from ADB BICommittee Secretary Jill Drilon to GSS (26 Feb 2002)
5- ADB Management Response to GSS Inspection Request (Feb 2002), excerpts
prepared by NGO Forum on ADB
6-  STDP Timeline 1992- April 2002, prepared by NGO Forum on ADB, April 2002

----------------


Dr Paul A. Barter
Visiting Fellow, Department of Geography
National University of Singapore
1 Arts Link, Singapore 117570
NOTE NEW PHONE & FAX NUMBERS: 
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