Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police and Excise Department personnel destroyed ganja plantations on vast tracts of land in Gajapati district of the state as part of the former’s “Operation Green Clean”.
During the joint operation, police, Excise, Forest and Revenue Department personnel destroyed ganja plantations on over 82 acres of land in Garada, Sikilmaha and Gunjipadar villages of Raipanka panchayat under Adaba police limits in Gajapati district.
According to the police, around 1.64 lakh ganja plants were illegally grown on forest land. The police estimate the market value of the destroyed ganja plants to be around Rs 17 crore.
Seven platoons of armed police personnel were deployed during the “Operation Green Clean” in Gajapati.
Meanwhile, the police and Excise Department have launched an awareness drive urging the villagers to avoid illegal ganja plantation. The district administration has been encouraging the villagers to cultivate vegetables to improve their financial condition.
