Khammam: Ganja cultivation and its smuggling is thriving in and around the dense forests of Dandakaranya.
According to police sources, it is being raised, including by farmers, like chilli in the area and the extent of the crop is estimated to be around 4,000 acres. Coming in handy for the cultivators is river Siler and the surrounding hydro-power projects.
The magnitude of the business can be gauged from a recent raid. On July 28, cops from Khammam and Bhadradri districts seized 4,335 kgs of ganja worth a whopping Rs 8.40 crore. The district administration and police officials were shocked at the haul.
There has been a systematic increase in the volume of business from 2010 onwards. About four to five ganja cases were registered every year from 2010 to 2017. It was 14 in 2018 and Khammam and Bhadradri districts reported 16 cases in 2019 and 14 in the following year. Around 60 accused have been taken into custody since January this year, which has already reported 17 cases.
Circle inspector Satyanarayana Reddy, who cracked several ganja smuggling cases, said that they could understand the demand for the banned substance from the continuous police checks in the two districts. There is a massive demand in Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh.
“The supply can be checked if we stop its origin, which is right at the cultivation point. The area where the plants are being raised is located on tough terrain. Making hay are those growing the plants, transporting the product, and selling them in wholesale and retail”, he said. He added that its cultivation has been fully under check in Khammam and Bhadradri districts.
The price of ten grams of the substance will be anything from Rs 200 to Rs 500 depending on the demand. Ganja is transported to cities in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
In Uttar Pradesh, ganja is sold by traders into electronic and plastic goods. The police, who seized ganja in Khammam, found several such links.
