AP Records Zero Ganja Cultivation, Says EAGLE Chief
Week-long village outreach programme launched in ASR district to sustain anti-cannabis drive
Visakhapatnam:Andhra Pradesh has achieved zero cultivation of cannabis and is being recognised as a national model for eliminating illegal ganja cultivation, EAGLE chief Ake Ravi Krishna said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference here, Ravi Krishna said the state government had identified 20 ganja hotspots across 375 tribal villages in seven mandals. A combination of strict enforcement and welfare measures had helped eliminate cannabis cultivation in all these villages.
“With the mix of strict enforcement and social welfare, we successfully dismantled illegal cannabis farming in all those villages. The present drone surveys, satellite images and field visits have established zero cultivation of cannabis in these villages,” he said.
Ravi Krishna said families involved in cannabis cultivation were identified and counselled to shift to alternative commercial crops. As a result, they had successfully transitioned to legal and sustainable farming, improving their livelihoods.
To sustain the gains, he launched the Palle Batalo EAGLE (Village Visit) programme at Kothavalasa village in Korrai panchayat under Dumbriguda mandal in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The campaign will be conducted from July 13 to 20 across all mandals in the district.
He said the police department, with support from the revenue, forest, agriculture, tribal welfare, horticulture and other departments, would jointly implement the programme to prevent the revival of cannabis cultivation.
Appealing for public participation, Ravi Krishna urged people to report illegal cultivation, storage, transportation, sale or consumption of cannabis through the EAGLE helpline 1972.
