Social Safeguards
Land Acquisition
Land requirement arises for development of various infrastructure facilities. Private land acquisition will have adverse impacts on affected persons (loss of livelihood, shelter incomes etc). Land acquisition process being cumbersome and time-consuming may often lead to delays in project implementation. Following issues are to be considered in planning for the infrastructure projects:
- Identify government land as far as possible with the help of revenue authorities
- Avoid private land acquisition as far as possible
- Avoid/minimize land acquisition, and other involuntary resettlement impacts by exploring all viable alternative project designs
- As far as possible do not acquire land belonging to vulnarable households
- Prefer negotiated land purchase over invoking Land Acquisition Act
Socio-economic/affordability analysis
It is important that any proposed tariff adjustments necessary to finance priority investments are fair and affordable, and that social arrangements are in place to ensure the poor have access to essential public services. A socio-economic / affordability study should provide an assessment of the need for tariff restructuring (e.g. to eliminate unfair cross subsidies) and of the scope for tariff increases in relationship to fair market rates and customer affordability. The study should identify the existence of, or the need for, any transitional social arrangements that will ensure the funding of assess to essential services for the poor.
