The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Vigil pushes ganja cultivation to other areas

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Thursday, Jan 17, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Vigil pushes ganja cultivation to other areas

K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI: The detection of ganja plants at a couple of places in “non-traditional areas” in Dharmapuri district has forced the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau CID to step up vigil there and in neighbouring Salem.

In the latest case, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau personnel detected and destroyed ganja plants, worth Rs. 20 lakh, raised as an inter-crop on 2.5 acres at Pappireddypatti Malaiyur in Dharmapuri district, and arrested Theerthagiri, who was earlier involved in a case booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Su. Arunachalam, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau CID, told The Hindu.

Only two months ago did the police destroy ganja plants at Marukkaranpatti in Dharmapuri and arrested two persons.

The vigil being mounted by the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau on cultivators in the “traditional cultivating areas” in Dindigul and Theni districts might have pushed the cultivation of the plant to other places, Mr. Arunachalam said. Detection was difficult, he said, if the plant was grown on ‘patta’ land, as was evident from the two cases.

In this case, the plants were raised along with coriander, whose fragrance spread for quite some distance. Furthermore, ganja plants could be detected only when they grew two-three feet.

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