VISAKHAPATNAM: AS a part of their measures to nab ganja smugglers, the excise officials and local police have hammered out an action plan. As many as 14 storage points of ganja and 29 smuggling routes were identified by the officials of Prohibition and Excise. Meanwhile, police proposal to set up CCTV cameras is also part of the plan to nab the ganja smugglers as well as Maoist militia members in the agency.
Even as city police and exceise officials tried to come up with various plans to nab the smugglers, the culprits flee using different modes. Lorries, tipper vans, auto-rickshaws, bikes, posh cars and even horses are being used for shifting ganja by smugglers.
Excise officials have identified 14 storage points in nine mandals, where the smugglers hide the stuff and all points are deep in forests. As many as 29 routes, being used by the smugglers, have also been identified. The most prominently used route is Yelamanchali-Tuni from Visakhapatnam agency. The routes en route Odisha and Chhattisgarh are often used. Meanwhile, police too are planning to set up CCTV cameras at some vulnerable places in the agency, which could help them trace the movement of Maoists and ganja smugglers. Meanwhile, the excise department has planned to conduct a workshop on ganja smuggling at ZP hall here on July 7.