Ganja plants worth Rs 100 crore destroyed in Tripura

Agartala, Jan 4 (PTI) A total of 19 lakh premature ganja plants worth Rs 100 crore have been destroyed in various locations in Tripura's Sepahijala district, police said on Sunday.

A joint team comprising state police, BSF and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) carried out the day-long operation on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, the joint force of 600 personnel carried out the operation on 650 acres of forest lands in North Kalamchoura, South Kalamchoura, Anandapur and Ghatigarh areas.

Additional Superintendent of Police of Sepahijala district, Rajib Sutradhar, said police have been using drones to identify ganja plantations in dense forests before launching operations.

"A total of 19 lakh premature ganja plants worth Rs 100 crore have been destroyed in various locations in Saturday's operation. The anti-cannabis drive will continue," he said.

Sonamura police station officer-in-charge Tapan Das said that locals had grown ganja on 650 acres of forest land, but no arrests have been made so far.

This was the highest quantity of ganja plants destroyed in Tripura in a single-day drive, he added.

Processed ganja is smuggled to states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where it is sold for a higher value, according to police. PTI PS ACD