Andhra Pradesh police to destroy 2.45 lakh kg dry ganja in next 3 days

VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Police will destroy a huge quantity of dry ganja seized from various places during transportation across the state in the next three days. AP Police seized Rs. 245 crore valued at 2.45 lakh kgs of ganja in this year, including 1.80 lakh kgs alone from the North Coastal Andhra districts, mainly newly formed Alluri Sitarama Raju district, and Anakapalli districts. More than 70% of ganja seized in AP has come from Odisha and AP cops are now discussing with Odisha officials about addressing the issue.It is the biggest operation ganja destruction in the country for the second time by the AP Police in eight months. It is recalled that undivided Visakhapatnam district police burnt two lakh kgs of ganja worth Rs. 200 crore on February 12 of this year.As part of the destruction of the ganja, Eluru Range Police on Friday burnt 64, 832 kgs of ganja seized in 465 cases in East Godavari, Kakinada, Konaseema, Eluru, West Godavari, and Krishna districts.More than 1.8 lakh kgs of seized ganja from Alluri district (1.35 lakh kgs), Anakapalli (35,000 to 40,000 kgs), Vizianagaram (9000 kgs), Srikakulam (4000 kgs), and Parvathipuram Manyam district (2000 kgs) worth of Rs. 180 crores would-be put-on fire at an isolated place Koduru near Anakapalli district on Saturday.Around 25000kg of ganja seized in Visakhapatnam city and Vijayawada city would be burnt on Sunday and 16000kg of ganja seized in Kurnool and Anantapur Ranges would be set on fire on Monday.It has taken two days’ time for the police to shift the ganja from the different police stations in the North Andhra districts in more than 60 to 70 vehicles. This huge quantity of cannabis seized around 900 cases. Each Kg ganja would fetch the smugglers Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 in the open market. The Additional Director General (ADG) of Law and Order and Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) Commissioner Ravi Sankar Ayyannar and Visakha Range DIG Harikrishna would attend the destruction of the ganja.The Alluri Sitarama Raju district superintendent of police S Satish Kumar told TOI that they seized 1.80 lakh kgs of ganja in 555 cases by arresting 250 accused. “The joint teams destroyed the ganja crop in more than 7000 acres under Operation Parivartan. The government supplied seed of various commercial crops to the tribals for alternative crop cultivation,” he said.The DGP K Rajendranath Reddy in a press release said that they have taken up an action plan to curtail the ganja transportation in 2023 by focusing the network that is supplying ganja to school students and college students. Cops would also take up various policy decisions over curtailing ganja cultivation, transport, control measures, and others. A special campaign of awareness with hoardings at all colleges with SEB Toll-Free number would be taken up in the new year, the DGP said. The State Police Boss said that the government had supplied seeds of alternative crops to ganja cultivation such as silver trees, pepper, coffee, turmeric, mango, coconut, cashew, Rajma, Ginger, citrus fruits, chilies, groundnut, and vegetables.The operation Parivartan started in the last week of October 2021 and destroyed 7500 acres of ganja crop. Cops got success by destroying the ganja-cultivated mandals of G Madugula, GK Veedhi, Chintapalli, Pedabayalu, Munchingput, Dumbriguda, and Paderu, most of the naxal influenced mandals.Cops have taken up a massive campaign of awareness among the tribals about the losses to the tribal families involved in the ganja cultivation and also transportation. Cops imposed PD Act against the repeat offenders and also encouraged the tribals for alternative crops, which gave results.‘Our department found ganja cultivation in 480 acres in undivided Visakhapatnam district and East Godavari districts in November in the first phase and 120 acres in December in the second phase with the help of modern technology and satellite images. Our special forces destroyed 600 acres of ganja crop in five days,” the DGP Rajendra Nath Reddy said.