BHUBANESWAR: The State Government will finalise the elephant corridor management plan in the next six months. This was decided at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat here today. The plan will emphasise on saving the elephants and their habitats from the human encroachments as well as saving their property and lives from the attacks of the jumbos. According to the elephant census, their number has increased from 1,841 in 2002 to 1,862 in 2007. Elephants mainly reside in the forests of Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Ganjam (Bhanjanagar), Dhenkanal and Angul (Satkosia) districts. However, sometimes they stray into human habitats in search of food. The State Government had to pay a compensation of Rs 8.92 crore during the last nine years for property damaged by the elephants. As many as 48 squads have been constituted in 36 divisions to check the elephant killers. The State Government has identified several elephant corridors to be managed by it. The corridors are Kare-Karamapada, Badampahad- Dhoba Dhobani, Badampahad- Karidapurba, Similipahar-Hadagada, Hadagada- Kuladiha, Kanheijena-Anantpur, Tala- Kholagarh, Nuagaon-Baruni and Kotagarh- Chandrapur. Expressing concern over the large number of elephant deaths due to electric shocks, the Chief Minister asked the Forest and Environment Department officials to take steps in this regard in coordination with the Energy Department. Among others, Chief Secretary TK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Bijay Patnaik, Secretary in the Forest and Environment Department UN Behera and senior officials attended the meeting.