Ganja (cannabis), cultivated in Andhra-Odisha border, is entering the State via Chintur and Bhadrachalam before being moved to other States like Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Police and Excise officials, who participated in a meeting convened by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday, told him that ganja was entering Telangana from neighbouring States, including Chhattisgarh. This prompted the need for a coordinated approach in association with officials from neighbouring States to completely check the movement of ganja.
A majority of people taking cannabis are workers and youth, including auto drivers and hamalis.
KCR directed the officials to evolve a comprehensive strategy to completely eliminate ganja and arrack from the State.
Mr. Rao asked them to arrest the culprits with the help of those consuming contraband and strengthen the excise check-posts so that cannabis transport is stopped completely. Cultivation and consumption of ganja is still under control, but it would go out of control if there was any negligence on the part of the officials concerned, he said.
The meeting opined that tightening vigil in forest check-posts in addition to those manned by the police and Excise personnel would yield effective results in curbing the menace. DGP M. Mahender Reddy directed the officials to identify areas that turned into hotspots for ganja consumption. Steps were being taken to ensure coordination with Visakhapatnam and Malkangiri police.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said that the meeting marked the first steps towards eliminating ganja and other drugs in the State.
The CM also wanted the officials to be committed in their efforts to eliminate ganja and arrack. Controlling arrack would be possible for the Excise department as it is locally manufactured and at the same time, steps should be taken to rehabilitate those engaged in the sale of arrack. The government would soon release funds required for the purpose to District Collectors, he said, lamenting how innocent tribal youth were falling to arrack consumption.
Amid reports on sale of arrack, the Excise department should be on high alert and rectify the lapses in the implementation of measures launched to prohibit its sale and consumption.
He directed Minister V. Srinivas Goud and Excise Commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmed to conduct regular review meetings to monitor the progress of the steps initiated in this direction while efforts should be made to stress on the ill effects of drug consumption.
He said the government was not averse to giving subsidy to films based on the theme of ill effects of drugs.
