Brahmapur: After cracking down on ganja smuggling in Adava and R Udayagiri areas of Gajapati district, Odisha Police has launched an awareness drive appealing to people, especially tribal communities, to refrain from cannabis cultivation and take up cash crops as an alternative livelihood option.
Police have also sought help from panchayat representatives to curb cannabis cultivation in the area and make Gajapati ganja-free, officials said Tuesday.
“Ganja cultivation generally starts in August and September in the remote areas of the region. In a bid to check this illegal practice, we have launched an awareness drive urging people not to indulge in illegal cultivation,” said Rakesh Kumar Sahoo, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), R Udayagiri.
“The objective of our multi-disciplinary mission is to ensure zero cannabis cultivation in the region,” Sahoo said.
He said meetings had already been conducted in different areas under Adava and R Udayagiri police limits and efforts were being made to hold such meetings in all panchayats.
Local sarpanches, samiti members and ward members participated in the meetings and extended their support, he said.
“If anyone gets information about the cultivation, possession, stock or transportation of ganja in their respective areas, they should immediately inform the police to crack down on the illegal practice,” he said.
At the same time, police warned that anyone found knowingly suppressing such information could face punishment under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
For alternative livelihoods, police have advised people to take up agriculture or horticulture.
Officials from the agriculture, horticulture, forest and banking departments also participated in the meetings, suggesting cash crops such as cashew and maize and plantation of teak.
“In the meetings, we have advised the people not to fall prey if any outsiders or local mafia provoke them to take up ganja cultivation,” he said.
The awareness drive assumes significance as ganja cultivation has been reported in vast areas in the remote corners of the district.
Last year, the Gajapati district administration destroyed around 2,500 acres of ganja plantations, officials said.
Police also seized over 22 tonnes of ganja worth around Rs 22 crore in the last six months. A total of 18 drug smugglers were arrested during the period, Sahoo said.
PTI