RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Director General of Police D Gautam Sawang on Tuesday said an action plan would be chalked out to put an end to the ganja menace in the State. The police will increase checks on the frequently-used routes to transport the contraband and take stern action against smugglers. Sawang said the State police would also take the support of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in their efforts to curb the menace.
Amid the political heat generated by the instances of drug peddling with their alleged roots in the State, the DGP held a meeting with senior officials in Rajamahendravaram and reviewed the measures to be taken to prevent smuggling of the ganja in the coastal Andhra districts. The State police reportedly took a serious view of the charges levelled against the State government in connection with the recent Mundra port heroin seizure.
In the marathon meeting, the DGP directed officials not to spare those who are involved in drug trade, irrespective of their political affiliation.Speaking to the media after the meeting, Sawang said ganja cultivation has been prevalent in the neighbouring States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and the contraband is transported from the border areas.
Reiterating that there was no link to Andhra Pradesh with the seizure of drugs in Mundra port, the DGP said with the directions of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the police department has taken up investigation into ganja cultivation in the border areas for the past one month.
“We will work together to iron out ganja smuggling from the State with the cooperation of the NIA. You will see how ganja smuggling will be contained in the coming days,’’ he said. Sawang added that smugglers from Telangana, Haryana and Maharashtra and other States are coming to the border areas of AP, where ganja cultivation is rampant, and investing money.
He said the State government has issued orders to take severe action against ganja and other narcotic drug smugglers. By the collaborative work of police of all southern States, the menace of ganja and other drugs can be eradicated completely by maintaining a database of smugglers.The DGP asked officials to coordinate with other departments like the Special Enforcement Bureau, prohibition, agriculture, forest, ITDA and revenue in the areas where the cultivation of ganja is prevalent and work strategically to crack down on the activity like never before.
Senior police officials briefed the DGP that ganja crops were being identified using drones and remote sensing data, and were being destroyed in the presence of revenue officials.Rajamahendravaram Urban SP Aishwarya Rastogi said they have taken up random vehicle checking at odd hours to curb the menace. Rajamahendravaram city is used as a transit hub for smuggling of ganja from border areas.
Special drive is being conducted to nab notorious criminals and smugglers at the border areas of Rampachodavaram and surprise checks of buses are also being conducted at key points in and around the city. Random checks at railway stations and parcel services are also going on and awareness campaigns are being held at colleges to desist youth from falling prey to narcotic substances, he said. Earlier, the DGP visited the residence of Katta Veera Venkata Ramana, a head constable who died of Covid, in Rajendranagar and consoled the family members.