The Request alleges that Project activities associated with the proposed Southern Link Road alignment will result in “mass displacement”, and the loss of housing, food security and livelihoods. The Request raises concerns about the determination of compensation amounts for Project-affected people and the timeliness of compensation payments, given the historic background that defines the local methods of determining market rate and poor practice experienced in relation to another project in the Project area.
The Request raises concerns about the potential risk of heightened conflict and violence that Project related land compensation will bring due to existing conflicts between absentee landowners and actual land users in the area. The Request also raises concerns about a potential increase in violence as Project implementation progresses. Additionally, the Request states that the community fears the Project would “eventually be abandoned” due to the “daily clashes on the borders” between Pakistan and Afghanistan, while the negative consequences of Project-related land acquisition actions would not be reversed.
The Request expresses serious concern about the negative impact the road corridor will have on traditional values and culture. According to the Request, the design of the road corridor will result in the road being elevated higher than the boundary walls of adjacent housing and this will expose the privacy enjoyed in these households. The Requesters also claim this will particularly affect female members of the households as they will need to maintain their purdah within their own homes. Additionally, the Request raises concerns about potential uprooting of private individual graveyards that the Requesters allege were not considered by the Project.
The Request alleges community members and elected members of the local bodies were not informed about the Project and not all relevant parties were meaningfully consulted on the road alignment changes.
The Request also raises concerns about negative environmental impact from the Project and that noise pollution will worsen due to the Project throughout the construction and operational phases. The Request claims that the Project documents include no feasible solutions to address these impacts.
As part of its due diligence, the Panel verified that the Request met the admissibility criteria for registration. On July 2, 2024, the Panel spoke with some of the Requesters to better understand their concerns, seek clarification, and inform them of the Panel's process and mandate. On July 5, 2024, the Panel met with Management, that provided a summary of Project overview, implementation status and its views on the issues raised in the Request.
The Panel registered the Request on July 8, 2024.
