The Panel received a Request for Inspection on October 8, 2016, related to the Proposed Amaravati Sustainable Capital City Development Project (Project ID: P159808) located in Amaravati Capital Region of Andhra Pradesh State in India. The Requesters stated they were likely to suffer harm as a result of the World Bank’s failures or omissions with respect to environmental and social impacts related to a land-pooling scheme being used to acquire land for the capital city.
In line with its Operating Procedures, the Panel conducted its due diligence and is of the opinion that at this stage, it is not possible to link the alleged existing and potential harm cited in the Request to any action or omission of the Bank; it is also not possible to comment on the plausibility of whether a Bank failure has had, or threatens to have, a material adverse effect on the Requesters. In light of the foregoing and in accordance with the Panel Resolution, its Clarifications, and its Operating Procedures, the Panel is not registering the Request for Inspection.
The Panel notes that, in the future as the project progresses and as new evidence becomes available, the Panel would be in a position to reassess the existence of a plausible link between a Bank-supported project and the alleged harm. In such a case, the Requesters, in accordance with the Panel procedures, retain their right to re-submit a Request for Inspection concerning the issues raised.
