Odisha to use satellite imagery to go after cannabis plantation

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 30:

Odisha Government today decided to take the help of satellite imagery to identify locations of cannabis plantations and destroy them.

Odisha Police and various other departments of government today discussed the issue at length in a conference to come up with long term solutions.

“Today we called for a conference of SPs of nine districts, their IGs and DIGs to discuss about the illicit plantation of cannabis in the state. We tried to work out a method to find out the locations of such plantations, methods to destroy them and take proper action against those involved in it,” said Crime Branch ADG BK Sharma.

Excise Department Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) Scientist DK Rao, IGs and DIGs and five police ranges and SPs of 10 districts, top level delegates from Forest Department, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Special task Force (STF) also presented their views in the conference.

Notably, Odisha Police managed to destroy cannabis plantation in 3700 hectares of land last year, even though it had set itself a target of 3000 hectares.

Long considered the biggest source of income for Maoist ultras, Odisha Police is taking cannabis plantation seriously. Apart from cannabis, the police are also keeping a close vigil on opium plantation and considering strong action against culprits associated with these contraband.