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According to AIIB, The Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) Part B project (the project) comprises 96.48 kilometers (km) electrified dual-track railway line passing through Palwal, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts in the state of Haryana. It includes civil works, electrification, signaling and telecommunications, 12 new railway stations and 6.28 km route connectivity to Indian Railways (IR) at three interchange points.
The project is one of two parts (of which Part A is under construction) under the proposed HORC investment program (the program) from New Prithla to New Harsana Kalan. The entire HORC program comprises 125.98 km of new railway line from chainage km 0.0 to km 125.98,17 new railway stations, and 21.89 km of connectivity lines to the IR and DFC at six points, totaling 147.87 km.
The proposed objective of the project is to improve rail connectivity in the National Capital Region and decongest the rail corridor in Delhi.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION
AIIB's Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), including the Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) and the Environmental and Social Exclusion List, applies to the project. Environmental and Social due diligence (ESDD) determined that ESS 1 (E&S assessment and management) applies to the assessment of ES impacts of project activities. ESS 2 (involuntary resettlement) also applies, as project related activities will require significant land acquisition which in turn will cause physical and economic displacement.
The Social Impact Assessment (SIA) carried out as part of the ESDD indicates that there are no Scheduled Tribes in the project districts and within the administrative boundary of the State of Haryana. Therefore, ESS3 (Indigenous Peoples) is not applicable.
Though majority of the project alignment will align with the existing KMP Expressway corridor, the project has been classified as category A, in accordance with the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), and consistent with the Part A of the HORC project. This is due to the social risks and impacts stemming from the displacement of a significant number of project-affected people.
To mitigate risks, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) have been carried out covering both Parts A and B of the proposed HORC investment program. No impacts have been identified on biodiversity resources in the project corridor. An Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and a Resettlement Plan (RP) inclusive of a Livelihood Restoration Plan and future stakeholder engagement plan were prepared. The ESIA including ESMP and RP, both in English and Hindi, were disclosed on March 25, 2022. Executive Summaries of these documents in Hindi have also been disclosed from AIIB's website.. Hard copies of the reports will be kept in HRIDC Offices and site offices, concerned District Collector's Office for public information and disclosure.
A project-specific Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) has been established to receive, acknowledge, evaluate and facilitate the resolution to the complaints relating to ES issues with corrective actions proposed. The information on project level and Contractor level GRM and the Project-affected People's Mechanism (PPM) of AIIB in local language will be disseminated again in a timely and appropriate manner to local communities and the PAPs. This was done previously as part of Part A implementation.
Semi-annual E&S monitoring reports for the project will be expanded to include Part A and B and be submitted to AIIB through HRIDC for review. AIIB will supervise the project's E&S aspects with support from local E&S consultants. AIIB will continue conducting onsite supervision missions twice a year.
The main environmental risks anticipated include (i) noise and vibration impacts to receptors along the alignments during both construction and operation stages; (ii) construction phase impacts such as solid waste disposal, increased water use, air pollution, impacts on borrow areas, occupational and community health and safety, and disturbance to communities and public utilities; and (iii) potential biodiversity impacts. The potential adverse social impacts are related to land acquisition which include loss of land, loss of structures (residential, and commercial) and loss of trees and crops and community and religious properties. Land acquisition for HORC will have disproportionate impacts on vulnerable households and lead to loss of jobs and business incomes. The nature of the civil works is also anticipated to induce short-term impacts linked to temporary loss of access, risk of child labor, labor influx, disruptions to commercial activities and adverse effects on public utilities.
Project cost: USD 555.52 million Financing Plan: AIIB loan: USD 322.00 million (58 percent) Haryana Orbital Rail Corporation Limited: USD 233.52 million (42 percent)
Implementing Entity: Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd
| Private Actor 1 | Private Actor 1 Role | Private Actor 1 Sector | Relation | Private Actor 2 | Private Actor 2 Role | Private Actor 2 Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd | Parent Company | Transport | owns | Haryana Orbital Rail Corporation Limited | Contractor | Transport |
AIIB PROJECT TEAM LEADER
Wenyu Gu,
Senior Investment Operations Specialist (Transport)
BORROWER
Prasanna V. Salin
Deputy Secretarty, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
IMPLEMENTING ENTITY
Puneet Kathpalia
Director (B&F), HRIDC
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.aiib.org/en/contact/information-request/index.html
ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AIIB
The AIIB has established the Accountability Mechanism for Project-Affected People (PPM). The PPM provides Òan opportunity for an independent and impartial review of submissions from Project-affected people who believe they have been or are likely to be adversely affected by AIIBÕs failure to implement the ESP in situations when their concerns cannot be addressed satisfactorily through Project level GRMs or AIIB Management processes.Ó Two or more project-affected people can file a complaint. Under the current AIIB policy, when the bank co-finances a project with another development bank, it may apply the other bank's standards. You can refer to the Project Summary Information document to find out which standards apply. You can learn more about the PPM and how to file a complaint at: https://www.aiib.org/en/about-aiib/who-we-are/project-affected-peoples-mechanism/how-we-assist-you/index.html
The complaint submission form can be accessed in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Chinese, English, Tagalog, Hindi, Nepali, Russian, Turkish, or Urdu. The submission form can be found at: https://www.aiib.org/en/about-aiib/who-we-are/project-affected-peoples-mechanism/submission/index.html
