BHUBANESWAR: The drive against illicit cultivation of cannabis has received a shot in the arm with the Odisha Police destroying ganja plants over 4,400 acres in seven districts this year. With this, the State Police has also notched up a record for destroying cannabis cultivation in the State. In 2016-17, illicit hemp cultivation over 3,599 acres was destroyed by different district administration and the year before, the number stood at 2,457 acres.
According to Director General of Police (DGP) Dr RP Sharma, the State Police had planned to destroy hemp cultivation over 3,050 acres this year but has far exceeded the target. In many districts, the drive is underway and will continue till January 31, he said.
Of the seven districts where hemp plantations were destroyed by joint teams of police and forest, the most was achieved in Kandhamal. At least, 2,227 acres of cannabis were destroyed by the enforcement squads in the central district. In Gajapati and Boudh, illegal hemp crops over 842 acres and 789 acres were destroyed during 2017-18.
In November, the DGP had convened a meeting of Crime Branch with Special Task Force, Economic Offences Wing, SPs of nine districts, Excise and Forest Departments, Narcotics Control Bureau and Odisha Space Application Centre to devise the plan of action against trafficking of ganja and destruction of the cultivation.
The DGP said the success against cannabis cultivation was facilitated by direct transfer of funds from STF to District Police which avoided delay. A multi-disciplinary approach and use of satellite imagery helped the operations in interior and Maoist-affected districts such as Kandhaml, Boudh, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Koraput.
“We have made use of remote sensing in identification of the crops in different districts but we would like to make extensive utilisation of its in the future,” Dr Sharma said.
A major challenge for the enforcement, as usual, was the Left Wing Extremis-affected districts where the squads were faced with security issues besides the inhospitable terrains.
In Malkangiri, this year, hemp cultivation over 199 acres could be destroyed though much more plantation remains in the cut-off areas. There has been a decline in cultivation of hemp in Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul and Nayagarh districts.
Apart from cultivation, the State Police and Excise sleuths went after trafficking of ganja, brown sugar and cough syrup. At least 700 persons were arrested in 2017 for trafficking 476 quintal ganja. Over 1.861 kg brown sugar was also seized.
Fresh measures
DGP Dr RP Sharma on Sunday said the State Government has revised the reward enforcement personnel as well as informers are entitled to for action against illegal trafficking of ganja as well as its cultivation
Earlier, the enforcement squads and informer were entitled to a reward of `80 each per 1 kg ganja apprehended. This rate was set about 25 years back. Now, it has been revised to `300. This would help the fight against trafficking of the contraband