Raids on illegal ganja plantations in Malkangiri

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/12/18/stories/2009121851540300.htm)
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Raids on illegal ganja plantations in Malkangiri


Staff Reporter

Excise Department destroys ganja plantations worth Rs. 8 crore so far

Maoist infested inaccessible areas of Malkangiri continue to be safe haven for ganja plantationsIt is smuggled through Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh to the rest of the country
BERHAMPUR: Officials of Excise Department and police have started raids on illegal ganja plantations in remote naxal infested areas of Malkangiri district.
According to the excise superintendent of Malkangiri, Loknath Mandia, they have destroyed ganja plantations worth more than Rs. 8 crore till Thursday. More than 85,000 full grown mature ganja plants have been destroyed.
These plantations were unearthed in Padmagiri, Chitrakonda and Balimela areas. The raids against illegal ganja plantations started on Tuesday.
Mr. Mandia said with the security cover of armed police personnel they are going to raid more ganja plantations in next few days.
It may be noted that Maoist infested inaccessible areas of Malkangiri district continue to be safe haven for ganja plantations.
Police and excise officials allege that through illegal ganja cultivation remote areas of Malkangiri district are pumping crores of rupees to the coffers of naxals.

Drug mafia

The report of the Justice P.K. Mohanty Commission on the operational activities of the Orissa drug mafia, had also mentioned that hemp illegally cultivated in Malkangiri and some other naxal infested districts of south Orissa is smuggled through Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh to the rest of the country. According to excise and police officials innocent villagers are lured into the illegal cultivation as single mature hemp plant fetches around Rs. 1,800.
It is alleged that Maoists are raising huge funds from the drug mafia behind ganja plantations as there is no major industrial activity in Malkangiri district for Maoists to extort money.
Usually the poor peasants are paid money to cultivate ganja in their remote areas and later the crop is collected through conduits.
As per reports ganja was smuggled from Chitrakonda-Gobindpali- Ramgir area in Malkangiri district to Raipur in Chhattisgarh via Ambabhona-Bargarh.
The second route of illegal ganja transportation is Kalimela-Malkangiri-Boipariguda-Jeypore through Kalahandi-Bargarh to Raipur.

Smugglers arrested
In the past police has arrested large scale ganja smugglers from these routes.
In October four persons were arrested and more than three quintals of illegal ganja was seized while they were transporting the narcotic outside the district.
Every year illegal ganja plantations worth crores of rupees are destroyed in remote areas of Malkangiri district.
But they come up again. The excise personnel in Malkangiri district are ill equipped and short staffed to stop this illegal plantation in this naxal infested district.


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