At 8pm on 24 March 2020, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, declared a 'total lockdown' for the entire population of 1.3 billion people. In a speech lasting less than 30 minutes, he urged Indians to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus, but failed to outline any concrete measures to help workers. Unsurprisingly, chaos ensued.
In the weeks that followed, photographs emerged of thousands of daily wage earners and migrant workers who had started walking back to their home towns and villages. In India, more than 90% of the population is employed in informal sector, and more than 100 million rural people work as daily wage earners, casual workers, contractual labourers and service providers in different cities. Meeting their daily needs is dependent on getting daily work, therefore introducing these drastic measures without concrete support has only reinforced social inequalities – instilling fear and uncertainty.
At the same, a number of controversial projects have been granted environmental approval while the pandemic has captured the spotlight, causing distress, fear and anger in the communities affected. One such project is the Hubballi-Ankola railway line project in the state of Karnataka in south India. It spans 168 km linking the city of Hosapete in central Karnataka with ports at Belikeri and Tadadi in coastal district of Uttara Kannada. The project passes through the Kali tiger reserve and other protected areas, and would involve the felling of nearly 200,000 trees and the destruction of rich biodiversity.
