Operation Parivartan: Andhra Pradesh police cracks down on cannabis cultivation
India Today
Andhra Pradesh Police initiated 'Operation Parivartan', a special operation undertaken to crack down on cannabis cultivation in the state.
The Andhra Pradesh Police has initiated 'Operation Parivartan', a special operation undertaken to crack down on cannabis cultivation in the state.
The operation was led by the Andhra Pradesh Police, collaborating with the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) in Visakhapatnam.
Around two lakh kilograms of processed cannabis were seized while it was being shipped out, post-harvest.Operation Parivartan is aimed at curbing the supply side of the ganja menace in the state. The two lakh kilograms of cannabis worth Rs 500 crore will be destroyed by the police.
From November 2021 to February 2022, the Andhra Pradesh Police have destroyed cannabis plants spread across 8,500 acres, before the harvest season.
Under Operation Parivartan, a total of 1,500 people have been arrested. Out of them, 562 people were from other states.
‘’While the primary goal was to find and destroy cannabis crops, the operation is also aimed at educating indigenous communities participating in the production,’’ said state DGP Damodar Gautam Sawang.
As ganja cultivation has been happening in ten areas for decades, police also involved revenue, tribal welfare, agricultural, and Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) personnel to rehabilitate persons involved in the trade by giving them alternative livelihood opportunities.
