The East Godavari police, with the help of Porja tribes, on Wednesday destroyed ganja crops in 10 acres on the banks of Sileru river near the Odia Camp (village of Porja tribe) on the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB)region.
The area shares the border with Malkangiri district in Odisha.
A team of officials led by East Godavari SP M. Ravindranath Babu, ASPs G. Krishnakanth and Krishnakanth Patil and ITDA Chintoor Project Officer A. Venkata Ramana destroyed the ganja plantation in presence of the armed police in the Naxal-hit Donkarai mandal. The estimated quantity of destroyed ganja is nearly 6,000 kg.
“We convinced the Porja tribe to join the drive undertaken to identify the ganja plantations. On Wednesday, we destroyed ganja plantation in 10 acres. We are not blaming the local communities as they are being lured by smugglers. We will educate the tribals on the legal consequences of cultivating ganja,” said Mr. Ravindranath Babu.
The police also sought help from the forest and ITDA authorities to encourage commercial crops in the region.
In response to a call by the police, tribal people from the five villages participated in the drive.
