BHOPAL: In what could perhaps be the highest of its kind, around 80,000 kg of narcotic drugs seized in seven districts of Ujjain region in Madhya Pradesh in a year, were incinerated in 16 hours at a cement factory in Neemuch district of the state.
As many as 22 vehicles, including large trucks loaded with narcotics weighing around 80 tons, which were seized within a year from Ujjain, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Agar-Malwa, Dewas and Shajapur arrived at the cement plant in early on Thursday.
Subsequently, the entire seizure was gradually placed in a furnace, starting at 7 am and burnt for 16 hours till 11 pm, to ensure that the entire load of seizures were destroyed.
“Entire process was performed following clearance from scientists of the pollution control board. The entire 80-ton seizure of drugs were burnt to the hilt in the furnace at up to 1,400 degree Celcius, which ensured not even an iota of smoke billowed out of the factory. The entire process was totally secure,” DIG-Ratlam Range Manoj Kumar Singh told this newspaper on Friday.
The massive haul of drugs that were burnt in the cement factory’s furnace included ten types of narcotic substances, particularly poppy husk, brown sugar, ganja, MDMA, charas and Alprazolam. According to the standard rates, the entire load of narcotics burnt was valued at around 28 crores.
Also, 168 kg of opioids used for manufacturing of medicines was deposited in an Alkaloid factory.
According to sources privy to the exercise, besides destroying the massive haul of drugs, the heat generated out of the burning process was actually used by the cement plant simultaneously as “green fuel” for its production related processes.