Course Title: Resettlement Planning

Course Code: URP 4111

Assignment on
Resettlement Action Plan of Ishurdi to Dhalachar New Railway Line
Project.
Date: 13-02-2021

Submitted By

Name: MD RASEL

Student ID: 161716

Session: 2015-2016

Submitted To

Md. SOHEL RANA

Assistant Professor, dept. of Urban And Regional Planning
Pabna University of Science And Technology.

Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning.

Pabna University of Science and Technology

 Course Title: Resettlement Planning

1. Introduction

A resettlement plan can be described as all kinds of direct financial and cultural losses
resulting from land acquisition and access restriction, together with the resulting and remedial
measures (Murtaza, 2012). Murtaza also noted in 2012 that resettlement involves the
acquisition of land and physical structure on land, including businesses, physical relocation,
economic rehabilitation of the displaced person. Resettlement can be classified as Voluntary
(People embrace the free option of displacement), Involuntary (People or groups affected do
not have the right to deny acquisition of land) (IFC, 2012; World Bank, 2002). Large-scale
construction or infrastructure projects, regardless of their intent, and whether undertaken by
governments or private companies, usually involve property and often huge land tracts
(Vanclay, 2017; Ahsan, 2009). This desire for land could lead to people living there being
dislocated. The resettlement process is complicated: multi-dimensional, multi-factor, multi-
actor, multi-scalar, and multi-level resettlement (Mathur 2011a; Reddy et al. 2015; Vanclay,
2017). The resettled individuals are affected in various ways because of their different
limitations, skills, roles, and interests (Oliver-Smith 2010; Vanclay, 2012). This plan aims to
house people in another place that any development project has somehow impacted and to
ensure that people are well adapted to their social, cultural, and economic spheres of life in
new areas (Murtaza, 2012).

2. Case Study of resettlement project in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is a developing country that has been trying to boost economic growth, requiring
a physically dynamic infrastructure, and many projects are being undertaken to implement
this process, many of which require large amounts of land (Atahar, 2013; Hasan, 2012). With
a considerable population, Bangladesh has a small geographic area. It is highly dense and
overpopulated, and each inch of land is occupied, according to Atahar, 2013; thus, any
project with a footprint implies population displacement. Nevertheless, it is estimated that an
average of 20,000 to 30,000 individuals has recently been impacted by infrastructure
development projects annually in Bangladesh (Hasan, 2012; The Daily Star, July 13, 2010;
Atahar, 2013). Some of the resettlement projects in Bangladesh has given below:

2.1 Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Project Resettlement Action Plan, 1993.

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 Course Title: Resettlement Planning

In June 1993, the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority (JMBA) finalized a Resettlement
Action Plan (RAP) for the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Protect (JMBP) (Hasan, 2012). And
this was Bangladesh's first resettlement project ever. The region affected by this JMBP is
2,724 ha in total. For the entire project, including the additional land area to be acquired for
the East Bridge End, the estimated directly impacted population (PAPs) is 41,200. The
impacted area for Phase I East Bridge End is approximately 955 ha, and the affected
population is 16,6922 ha (JMBA, 1993; Land Ministry, 2007). It was clear from JMBP's
relocation policy that the land acquisition laws of 1982 and 1989 provided only for statutory
cash compensation to the lawful owners of the assets under acquisition but did not guarantee
either the replacement of the assets acquired or the restoration of the living standards of those
affected by the acquisition Land (Ministry, 2007).

2.2 Bhairab Bridge Project Resettlement Action Plan, 1999.

For the construction of the bridge, access roads, and other facilities, including river training
and bank protection work, the Bhairab Bridge Construction Project (BBCP) acquired about
116 acres (47 ha) of land from both riverbanks (Hasan, 2012).

2.3 Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project Resettlement Action Plan.

A very significant infrastructure development project for the Government of Bangladesh is

the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project. The planned bridge is an approximately 6.15 km
long multipurpose fixed crossing over the Padma River with provisions for a rail line. As a
result of the acquisition/requisition of land for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project,
resettlement action plans were prepared to resolve and mitigate the adverse impacts on the
affected individuals' livelihood (ADB, 2006; Bangladesh Bridge Authority, 2015). The
Resettlement Action Plans major Components were; a) Construction of Four Sites of
Resettlement: RAP-I. (b) Central Bridge, Road Access, Service Area, and End Facility
Bridge: RAP-II. (c) River Training Works: RAP-III. d) Janjira Yard of Construction,
including Temporary Relocation Site, Janjira: RAP-IV. e) Building Yard at Mawa: RAP-V
(ADB, 2006). Four relocation sites are eligible for a total of 2123 residential plots and 80
industrial plots. All infrastructural civic facilities such as schools, mosques, markets,
overhead water tanks, electricity supply, roads, etc., are completed. Three residential plot
types are available at the resettlement sites; 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 decimal places; (Bangladesh
Bridge Authority, 2015; Hasan, 2012).

3. Ishurdi to Dhalarchar Railway Project Resettlement Action Plan.

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 Course Title: Resettlement Planning

Under the Taka 1,436.03 project to build a

new railway line from Ishurdi to
Dhalarchar vai Pabna, 78.80 kilometers of
a new line and 7.90 kilometers of loop
line were constructed along with 533
meters of large bridges and 952 meters of
small bridges (The Daily Star, February
10, 2021; The Independent, January 3,
2019; BSS, May 11, 2019). The new railway line has ensured the connection between people
in the project area with the existing rail network, along with the expansion of passenger
movement facilities and transport of goods (The Independent, October 7, 2018). In December
2015, The rail authority signed the contract with Mir Akhter Hossain Ltd. and Ranken
Railways Construction Co. Ltd. to construct the 78.80 km mainline from Ishwardi to
Dhalerchar via Pabna, although with a 10.87-kilometer loop in the Natore and Pabna districts
(BSS, 11 May 2019). The Ministry of Railways designated this project as constructing a new
railway line from Ishwordi to Dhalarchar via the Pabna district.

Construction of new railway line from Dhalachar to Ishurdi project cover area of three
Upazila (Sujanagar Upazila, Pabna Sadar Upazila and Ishurdi Upazila) of Pabna District.
There was no specified relocation plan on this project. The railway authority acquired land
for the railway line, stations with the compensation of money according to the price of local
land value. Very few human settlement areas were acquired by the railway authority, thus the
maximum of land was agricultural, bare land. The acquisition and requisition process of this
project was very simple as the authority paid compensation money on time with the proper
value of the land.

Figure: Land use changes for the construction of Pabna rail station year of 2020,2018,2016.

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Satellite image of Pabna railway station showing the land acquisition for the railway
construction project.

Reference:

ADB (2006), “ Guidelines on Monitoring & Evaluation of Resettlement”, Manila,

Philippines.

Ahsan, Q., (2007). “Involuntary Resettlement in Jamuna Bridge Project: Impoverishment

Risks and Reconstruction Measures”, Dhaka, 2007.

Atahar. S. A. (2013). Development Project, Land Acquisition and Resettlement in

Bangladesh; A Quest for Well Formulated National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 7. Centre for Promoting
Ideas, USA www.ijhssnet.com

Bangladesh Bridge Authority (2015). Resettlement Action Plan of the Padma Multipurpose
Bridge Project.

BSS (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha), 11 May 2019. West zone railway implementing TK
16,627.21-cr projects.

Hasan. M. K (2012). A Study on Involuntary Resettlement Plan Practices in Different

Infrastructure Development Projects in Bangladesh. Master of Urbana and Regional
Planning, BUET.

IFC (International Finance Corporation) World Bank Group. (2012). Guidance Note 5, Land
Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement. https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect.

JMBA (Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority) .1993. “Revised Resettlement Action Plan”,
Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Project, Bangladesh.

Land Ministry,(2007). “National Policy on Involuntary Resettlement and Rehabilitation”,

Final Draft, Appendix 2, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Mathur HM. 2011a. A historic landmark in development: reflecting on the first resettlement
policy – an interview with Professor Michael M Cernea by Professor Hari Mohan Mathur

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[Internet]. Resettlement News 23/24, 1-4. [cited 2016 Oct 20]. Available from:
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Resettlement.

Murtaza. M. G. (2012). A Glossary of Terms of Urban, Rural and Regional Planning. Centre
for Urban Studies (CUS), Dhaka. 40 th Founding Aniversary of CUS Publication Series: 2.
www.cusdhaka.org. ISBN: 978-984-33-5985-8.

Oliver-Smith A. 2010. Defying displacement: grassroots resistance and the critique of

development. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Reddy G, Smyth E, Steyn M. 2015. Land access and resettlement: a guide to best practice.
Sheffield: Greenleaf.

The Daily Star, “National English Daily Newspaper of Bangladesh” July 13, 2010.

The Daily Star, February 10, 2021. Pabna to get connected with the rail network.

The Independent, 3 January 2019. Tk 7,784cr railway projects in Rajshahi

The Independent, 7 October 2018. Bangladesh Railway west zone. Tk 1,830cr dev projects
being implemented.

Vanclay F. 2012. The potential application of social impact assessment in integrated coastal
zone management. Ocean Coast Manage. 68:149–156.10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2012.05.016

Vanclay. F. (2017). Project-induced displacement and resettlement: from impoverishment

risks to an opportunity for development?, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 35:1, 3-
21, DOI: 10.1080/14615517.2017.1278671

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