During a routine check on Thursday, Manoor police seized 90 kilograms of dry ganja from three people at Morgi chowrasta in Manoor mandal.
The seizure is definitely not the first of its kind in the area. It is suspected that parts of both Manoor and Kangti mandals, once areas of ganja cultivation, have now become hubs for transport of the grass.
Sources said ganja is being transported from Odisha, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry and Khammam to Maharashtra along the highway, surprisingly avoiding all the check posts. “Earlier, 70 per cent activity in the area pertained to cultivation of ganja, and 30 per cent to its transportation. It has now been reversed and more people are involved in the transport business,” said a police official closely involved in monitoring the activity. It is estimated that 80 to 90 tandas in both mandals are involved in ganja transport and this is being attributed to the lack of development and employment.
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Being a short-duration crop, ganja is being cultivated in interior areas in the midst of chillies and marigold, as their leaves will be similar and difficult to differentiate.