On November 6, 2009 the Madras High Court asked the Tamil Nadu forest department to submit a detailed map demarcating elephant corridors in the Niligiri mountains for conservation. The directions were given while ordering a ban on new constructions in the forest corridors used by about 1,000 elephants. Tribal communities and villagers living in the area said the high court order is being used as an excuse by the forest officials to include their villages in the elephant corridor.