Government aims to set Andhra Pradesh as drug free state: DIG S Harikrishna

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Visakhapatnam Range DIG S Harikrishna said that the government aims for APO as the Drug Free State and efforts towards that end would continue to reach the goal.

He said that AP cops in North Andhra districts are making all efforts to curb the ganja menace in AP with the coordination with Odisha as 75% of seized ganja in AP has been coming from Odisha.

The DIG Harikrishna set afire on the ganja heaps of 1.93 lakh kgs and 133 kgs of hashish oil estimated to be worth of Rs. 240 crore at market rate at an isolated place near Koduru village in Anakapalli district on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion the DIG said that special police forces and special enforcement bureau (SEB) cops are utilizing the satellite images and drones to locate the cannabis crop areas. “We have destroyed 650 acres of ganja crop in new places this year with the help of technology. We are searching for untouched places in interior pockets that are in naxal influenced areas,” he said.

The police and district administration has distributed seeds of various crops and saplings to the tribal farmers who are cultivating ganja. “We have distributed seeds and saplings for alternate crop in 7328 acres out of destroyed 7500 acres of ganja crop last year. We would support the tribal farmers in marketing facility also for the alternative crops with the help of district administration,” the DIG said.

He added that 12 check posts were set up to curb the ganja transportation and also interacting with Odisha, especially Malkangiri and Koraput cops, in wiping out the ganja menace in AP. Odisha cops too tare making efforts to curb the ganja on the borders. Cops set up 14 heaps of entire seized ganja- 193, 384 kgs in 929 cases in the past one year.

The Alluri Sitarama Raju district Superintendent of Police S Satish Kumar said that Maoists activities in the district have come down with the welfare activities of government and cops are providing training of physical and written tests for the tribal youth to get jobs in various wings. “We have provided 200 above posts in the last one year in various institutions. We have been implementing Prerana and Spoorthy programs for the tribal youth. We have also focused on the surrendered naxals and their rehabilitation,” he said.

Anakapalli district SP Gowtami Sali, ASR district Additional SP and Joint Director SEB Tuhin Sinha and B Vijay Bhaskar, ASP Rampachodavaram Adhiraj Singh Rana, ASP Chinturu Maheswar Reddy, ASP Chintapalli K Pratap Kishore, SEB in charge deputy commissioner Ramachandra Rao and other officials were present.

· 1,37,763 kgs ganja seized in 574 cases in ASR district

· 40,745 kgs seized in 273 cases in Anakapalli district

· 8788 kgs seized in 39 cases in Vizianagaram district

· 3985 kgs seized in 32 cases in Srikakulam district

· 2101 kgs seized in 11 cases in Parvathipuram Manyam