War on drugs: TN, Kerala, Karnataka join hands with Andhra, Odisha for decisive battle
The DGP was chairing an `inter-state coordination meeting on strategies to combat narcotics trafficking’ in Vizag city. The meeting was attended by senior officers from the other states.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 2 Nov 2021 4:46 AM GMT
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Damodhar Gautham Sawang said all southern states have decided to jointly wage a decisive battle against drugs.
He said Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka will work in tandem with Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to tackle narcotics trafficking with a special focus on Ganja.
The DGP said that Ganja is being cultivated along Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) and the Vizag agency.
The DGP was chairing an `inter-state coordination meeting on strategies to combat narcotics trafficking' in Vizag city. The meeting was attended by senior officers from the other states. Representatives of DRI, NCB, SEB, and others were also present.
The DGP said that the cultivation of Ganja in the AOB region is not new. He said it has been happening for the last four to five decades. But no concrete effort was taken in the past to root out the menace. He said there is a need for coordination between the states and various other departments to fight this menace. He said AP has taken the lead.
"We will use technology and force in combating Ganja menace. We will use drones, tools embedded with artificial intelligence. There will be a lot of data collation, data sharing, and data analytics," the DGP said.
DGP said Maoists have been encouraging Ganja cultivation as they receive a cut from the smugglers. He said it is a source of income for them. "We will beat them on their own turf," he said.
He also pointed out that the 'New Andhra' model of tackling left-wing extremism will pay dividends in the coming days.
"Since the ganja trade turned much profitable, there are cultivators, financiers, seed and technology providers, and transport providers. Everything works through a chain. Efforts are on to identify the routes and modus operandi in order to break the network and reach the kingpins. So far,5,000 accused have been arrested for Ganja smuggling and about 50 percent of them are from other states," he said.
