The Environment Ministry says that four National Highways pass through the ‘Project Tiger’ areas in the country. NH-31C passes through the buffer zone along southern fringe of the Buxa reserve. NH-16 passes through the southern boundary of Indravati tiger reserve and NH-7 traverses across the border of the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh while another section of the same highway goes right through the reserve in Maharashtra. The Bandipur tiger reserve has the Mysore-Ooty and Gundulpet-Sultanbathery state highways passing through while Moradabad-Tehri road passes on the eastern boundary of Corbett reserve for about 35 km. Two state highways runs along the reserve boundary at Dampa while another two cut through Melghat reserve. Nagarjunsagar has another two state highways passing through and running along its boundary while the Daltonganj-Ranchi state highway cuts through Palamau reserve northern fringe.

The Environment Ministry said that as far as taking action is concerned, “it provides funds to tiger states based on their proposals under the centrally sponsored scheme of Project Tiger, which includes diversion of roads and highways passing through reserves”. That clearly does not seem to be helping much.