Kerala - Palakkad   

Raids on ganja cultivations to be intensified from August

Staff Reporter

Large tracts of forests come under the menace

PALAKKAD: The Forest Department will intensify raids on ganja (Cannabis sativa) cultivations in Attappady forests of Mannarkkad Forest Division from August.

In raids conducted from April 21 to June 26, 2,451 plants had been destroyed.

The magnitude of the problem is so large that 60 per cent of the Attappady forest range is susceptible to ganja cultivation.

In the raids between 2001 and 2005, 7.84-lakh ganja plants, estimated at Rs. 764 crores, on 152 hectares of land had been destroyed, says an action plan report on "Eradication of ganja from Attappady."

In 2005, 43 raids were conducted and 1.41-lakh plants on 32 hectares of land destroyed. The plants were estimated at Rs. 141 crores in the drug market.

In 2004, 1.7-lakh plants on 32 hectares of land were destroyed in 37 raids. The plants were estimated at Rs. 170 crores.

According to reports, despite the raids, large tracts of reserve forests are still under ganja cultivation.

For example, in Melethudukki and Galazi areas of the forests, the raids from June 19 to 22 this year destroyed 1,455 plants. In the raids conducted on May 23 at Thadikundu, 720 plants were destroyed.

Nagesh Prabhu, Conservator of Forest, Eastern Circle, has said that the department will intensify ganja raids from August by getting more personnel from other forest circles.

Outposts set up

He says outposts have been set up in interior areas such as Bommiyampady, Thudukki and Aralikonam and 15 tribal people employed as watchers. These have been set up to have a better management system.

A wireless station has been set up at Varadimala and a repeater station at Minnampara for better communication in the interior areas.

More walkie-talkies and ammunition for ganja raids have been planned. An amount of Rs. 15 lakhs has been sought for ganja raids alone, he adds.

He says that anyone giving information about cultivation of ganja and its transport and sale will be given handsome rewards and their identity kept secret. They can contact forest officials of Mannarkkad division or the Eastern Circle in Palakkad to pass on information.

Mr. Prabhu says that ganja cultivation has a worldwide distribution network. It gives a lucrative return of Rs. 10,000 a plant in the local market.

Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, cultivation of ganja is a non-bailable offence and will invite imprisonment up to 20 years.

Mr. Prabhu says the cultivation creates social evils resulting out of easy, influences the tribal lifestyle and destroys forest and wildlife.

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