Bhubaneswar: The third state-level coordination meeting in connection with the prevention of illegal drug trade and smuggling in the state was held here on Thursday. Chairing the meeting, Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said that strict action will be taken against illegal drug trade and drug addicts.
DK Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Monica Batra, Deputy Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau, ADG Railway Coastal Security Dayal Gangwar, senior officers of various departments including State Police Administration, Home Department, Excise Department, School and Mass Education, Health Department, Border Security Force, and Narcotics Control Bureau were also present.
In the meeting, the Deputy Director General of the Bureau of NCB presented information about the state of drug trafficking in various states and called for ‘Yes to Life and No to Drugs’ and ‘Drug-Free India’.
Odisha’s STF in-charge JN Pankaj gave information about the drug trade in Odisha and said that earlier, cannabis was being cultivated in more than 10 districts of the state. Most of them are hilly, forested and Naxal affected areas. Now, due to the reduction of Naxal-affected areas in the state, cannabis cultivation is almost non-existent in non-Naxal-affected areas.
Brown sugar (heroin) mainly comes from West Bengal (Murshidabad, Nadia, and Burdwan districts) to coastal districts via Kolkata and Balasore. The poisonous cough syrup mainly comes from Chhattisgarh and West Bengal to Bolangir, Sambalpur and Bargarh districts of West Odisha. Illegal marijuana and opium cultivation are being investigated and destroyed every year during cultivation with the help of various agencies.
A record number of cannabis crops have been destroyed in the past 3 years. Looking at the statistics, it can be seen that in 2018-19, 11,627 acres of cannabis were destroyed in the state, while in 2022-23, 24,395 acres of cannabis were destroyed.
In 2018, 601 cases were registered and 523 quintals of drugs were seized and 774 people were arrested. By the end of April 2023, 1125 cases were registered and 879 quintals of drugs were seized and 1405 people were arrested. In the case of brown sugar, 55 people were arrested in 2018 and 301 people were arrested in 2023.
On the other hand, regular communication with law enforcement agencies is emphasized in preventing drug trafficking. Regular coordination meetings are held by senior officers with information being sent to each other through a computerized database.
In the meeting, importance was given to the farmers in the areas where cannabis is grown, in relation to alternative crops for their livelihood. In relation to the preparation of action plans on a specific district basis, it has been discussed to make special preparations in relation to the housing department, unemployment department, agriculture, and forest department.
Farmers who cultivate cannabis are being encouraged to cultivate medicinal lemongrass for livelihood. The Chief Secretary suggested that departments such as Panchayati Raj, Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Department, Fisheries and Livestock Department, Mission Shakti, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Tribes Department, Skill Development and Vocational Education Department should participate in the programme.
“Cases should be registered against students caught drinking and doing drugs, multiple times. Steps should be taken to expel them,” Jena said and suggested that courses on the non-use of drugs should be more prominent in academics.
