AP Cabinet Sub-Committee Orders Busting Of Drug Networks

The panel met on Thursday at Education minister Nara Lokesh’s residence in Undavalli under the chairmanship of Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha. Ministers Lokesh, Kollu Ravindra, Satyakumar Yadav and Gummidi Sandhyarani, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta, and Eagle IG A.K. Ravikrishna attended the high-level meeting.

During the meeting, officials made a detailed PowerPoint presentation, outlining the measures taken so far to curb cannabis and drug smuggling. The cabinet sub-committee sought a status report on the decline in ganja cultivation within Andhra Pradesh. It emphasised on the need for coordination with neighbouring states to prevent cultivation and transport of cannabis across borders.

The ministers and members of the sub-committee suggested use of satellite imagery, drones and AI-based analysis to identify hidden cultivation in hill tracts. They asked officials to set up a comprehensive digital dashboard through RTGS (Real-Time Governance System) to consolidate field intelligence, progress of cases, surveillance inputs and satellite / drone data.

The Cabinet sub-committee instructed all educational institutions to hold monthly awareness programmes, preferably on Saturdays, through Eagle Clubs, to educate students about the harms of drug abuse. The committee wanted quick filing of charge sheets in narcotics cases to ensure convictions, besides identifying hotspot areas where drug consumption is high.

Highlighting the exploitation of innocent tribal people by ganja smugglers, the sub-committee asked ITDAs and Tribal Welfare Department to take up awareness campaigns in agency areas. It further recommended studying best practices from other states towards regulating narcotics.