Amaravati land acquisition: WB seeks time to decide on probe  

 A World Bank inspection panel, which had recommended a probe into the charges of forcible land pooling against the Andhra Pradesh government for construction of capital city Amaravat

VIJAYAWADA: A World Bank inspection panel, which had recommended a probe into the charges of forcible land pooling against the Andhra Pradesh government for construction of capital city Amaravati, has now sought six months time to decide if a probe is required or not.The State government sought $300 million loan from the World Bank for construction of Amaravati. Meanwhile, following allegations that land was being forcefully acquired from the farmers by the government, an inspection panel of World Bank visited the capital city villages in September to look into the complaints.

On September 27, in its report, the inspection panel had recommended an investigation into the allegations levelled by farmers and alleged non-compliance with bank policies, especially relating to involuntary resettlement. Two months later, the bank management submitted to the panel an addendum offering clarification, an update on project preparation and additional actions to ‘complement and clarify’ the actions presented on July 21.

The management indicated the the addendum was based on the recent field missions and discussions with the panel. “Based on the addendum and proposed actions, the panel deferred its recommendation for up to six months as to whether an investigation is warranted. The board on December 12 approved the panel’s decision to defer its recommendation and report back to the board in the next six months,” the World Bank said on Thursday.

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