India is home to an estimated 2,226 tigers and corridors act as a crucial link between protected areas such as tiger reserves or national parks, helping to disperse source populations aiding genetic exchange. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar told dna that his ministry is still preparing separate guidelines to conserve tiger corridors. "We need more forest land in corridors but we cannot do it by law. So we are incentivising, we are preparing guidelines. For compensatory afforestation, if while using 1000 hectares, 800 hectares is provided, but in tiger corridors it will be good enough. It will enhance tiger corridors."

Unlike the protected area network of tiger reserves, national park and wildlife sanctuaries, tiger corridors are not protected legally. But, the ministry often seeks the view of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) before clearing projects in crucial tiger corridors. The ecological importance of tiger corridors to aid movement of the big cat from one tiger reserve to another has to be taken into account before clearing projects. MoEFCC secretary Ashok Lavasa said that most crucial corridors have to be first identified. "Project proponents will have to procure land in the corridor to the aid its conservation," said Lavasa.

The NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) though have already identified the major tiger corridors of the country in a major report called - Connecting Tiger Populations for Long-Term Conservation. The report has categorized corridors under broad landscapes such as Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plain landscape, Central Indian landscape, Western Ghats landscape complex and North East Hills. The Kanha-Pench corridor, Rajaji-Corbett corridor and Nagarhole-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Wayanad corridor are some of the most crucial tiger corridors in the country.

In recent past, the Centre has faced maximum flak for allowing multiple infrastructure projects through Kanha-Pench tiger corridor spread across Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The National Highways Authority of India is widening National Highway-7 through this corridor while the Gondia-Jabalpur railway doubling will also cut through it. In another instance, Durgapur open cast mine located near the Tadoba-Indravati tiger corridor was cleared last August.

YV Jhala, who co-authored the 2014 tiger census report said on the proposed guidelines, "Government land is not sufficient in tiger corridors and if project proponents are asked to buy land at pinch points where the corridor has shrunk, it will be good. But, whenever a project is cleared in corridors, the mitigation measures recommended need to be implemented with a sound checking mechanism."

Other conservationists said that corridors need to be accorded equal importance as protected areas. "Very few viable tiger corridors are remaining in the country. These corridors are as important as protected areas and development projects should not be allowed to ravage them," said Anish Andheria, President, Wildlife Conservation Trust, a non-profit organisation working in 110 national parks and sanctuaries of India across 19 states.