AP not keen on STF to check ganja trade

Visakhapatnam: The proposed special task force (STF) to tackle ganja cultivation, smuggling and few others drug trades effectively in Andhra Pradesh seems to be a non-starter as the AP government has no interest to spend crores of money and mobilise the forces deep into the forests in East Godavari and Vizag districts. Though the excise department submitted the blueprint of STF to the government a few days back, the government is reluctant to form the force, citing various reasons and finding alternative steps.  

As per the plan, STF will mainly focus to curb the ganja smuggling by setting up armed check posts and base camps by drawing men from police, excise, revenue and forest departments at the Paderu and Chintapalle area in Vizag Agency.

The task force, which would also include policemen, will destroy ganja plantations on road side in the agency areas of Vizag and East Godavari districts. The state government has to spend at least Rs 5 crore and a lot of coordination is required to execute effective operation to root out the ganja trade.  However, the government has asked the excise department to come with a new idea to deal the issue with minimum infrastructure and less manpower. Some excise officials also expressed displeasure over the proposed STF citing that they may land in the soup as most of the ganja plantations in tribal pockets and if something happened (killing of tribals and others), they have to face the legal battle, said sources. 

HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said that their government is chalking out new strategy to root out the ganja cultivation in Vizag and East Godavari districts besides nabbing the big-sharks in the illegal trade. Ganja cultivation has been taking in over 151 villages under eight medals (six mandals in Vizag and two in East Godavari district). As a part of the pilot programme, 10 villages in Vizag agency would be identified to carry out special drives, he added.

Smugglers use hijras for transportation of ganja

Transgenders from parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are being used by ganja smugglers for transportation of the contraband from one part to the destination to evade the enforcement checking.

Posing as beggars, the transgender community has been smuggling the contraband by travelling in buses and cars. The lure of easy money is drawing hijras into the illegal trade. Sources in police and excise department said some eunuchs have been playing the key role in supplying ganja to university and college campuses in various places. 

ASP (Narsipatnam) Aishwarya Rastogi said for the first time, they have nabbed a transgender named Kancharla Siri of Warangal region of Telangana state in connection with the ganja smuggling at Narsipatnam.

“We are suspecting that some more transgenders are involved in the illegal trade as normally police would not keep a strict vigil on the third gender people,” he added. 

The recent attacks by rival gangs in Vizag region and the illegal marijuana trade in Vizag district seem to be getting murkier by the day as the gangs are now found to be wielding firearms to eliminate their opponent gangs. The illegal weapons are finding their way into Vizag region.