DERA GHAZI KHAN, June 1: The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has authorized an inspection of the ADB-funded Chashma Right Bank Irrigation Project (CRBIP) Stage-III, which is supposed to irrigate around 600,000 acres in DI Khan and DG Khan districts.

Sources said the inspection would be conducted by an independent panel of experts, who would determine whether the ADB staff had complied with the bank’s policies and procedures in designing and implementing the project and what had been the extent of material damages in case of policy breaches.

The inspection panel will carry out a thorough review of the alleged non-compliance by the ADB staff and the resultant material damages to local communities and prepare its report for further consideration of the ADB Board Inspection Committee and the Board of Directors.

This is the second such inspection authorized by the ADB. The inspections are aimed at providing the people claiming to be adversely affected by ADB-funded projects an opportunity to file their claims, and ensuring transparency in designing and implementation of the project. They also provide for accountability of the management in the case of its failure to comply with the applicable policies and procedures.

The inspection follows a written claim filed on Nov 19, 2002, by six individuals with an authorization to represent the residents in the project area. In the inspection request, it was claimed that the ADB staff failed to comply with the bank’s policies, especially the policies with regard to the resettlement of affected people, environmental considerations and information disclosure.

According to the claimants, the failure to comply with these policies resulted in involuntary displacement of about 22 villages, project-induced flooding on the west side of the main canal and the eastern riverine belt, lack of fair and just land compensation, disruption of the local community support system and market networks, elimination of the historically established legal rights over flood water and permanent loss of land and crops owing to project-induced flooding.

They further alleged that a number of financial irregularities were committed during the award of contract and implementation of civil works. According to the claimants, both the ADB and Wapda deliberately ignored cost-effective and social and environmental-friendly alternatives to the project in order to increase the project costs. According to them, more than 100,000 people were being severely affected because of involuntary displacement, project-induced flooding and disruption of livelihood. The ADB and Wapda have also recently established the Chashma Grievance Redress and Settlement Committee in order to address the grievances and complaints of the affected communities. The committee comprises Aqal Mirza, the retired federal judge, Abdul Wahab, the land acquisition laws expert, Jamshed Tirmizi, the international resettlement expert, DG Khan district Nazim Jamal Leghari, DI Khan district Nazim Maj Latif Alizai and the Chashma Right bank Irrigation Project (CRBIP) director, chief engineer, the provincial power and irrigation department, and two representatives of the affected communities nominated by the respective district Nazims.

Independent representatives of the affected people, NGOs and the claimants were also invited to become members of the Chashma Grievance Redress and Settlement Committee but they refused on grounds that the committee was very much dominated by government officials and ADB-recruited consultants. They are, however, determined to continue monitoring the performance and operations of the committee.