13 June 2019

The Centre has asked all authorities responsible for road construction to avoid building highways in protected areas, such as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways asked National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd (NHIDCL) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to avoid making highways through such protected areas unless the projects are unavoidable, PTI reported.

“If it is absolutely unavoidable, all necessary clearances required under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Forest Conservation Act 1980 and Environment (Protection) Act 1986 should be obtained before any work is undertaken in such areas,” the news agency reported citing a circular from the ministry.

India's protected areas have increasingly come under pressure from an ever-increasing infrastructure network —161 wild animals were killed in road or train accidents in 2018, DTE reported in its State of India's Environment 2019 (SoE) in Figures.

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