Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government would act tough against the cultivation, sale and transport of ganja.
Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha stated in reply to queries in the legislative council here on Friday that ganja was having an adverse impact on youths, who increasingly got addicted to drugs and resorting to violence. The crime rate rose and several educated jobless educated youth committed suicide in recent times, she said.
Several tribal youths were languishing in jails vis-a-vis crimes linked to use of narcotic substances, she said.
The minister called for a close vigil in educational institutions and hostels via surprise raids and made the teachers responsible and accountable for their students’ use of ganja in the colleges/hostels.
She informed the council that 33 kingpins of ganja rackets were arrested and felt the need to keep a close vigil on those who were out on bail to curb ganja by all means. She laid stress to take up a special drive to control the cultivation, sale and transport of ganja.
Quoting instances of ganja getting door-delivered in disguise through courier services, she said the menace was deep-rooted. A narcotics task force would be set up with a toll-free number to deal with ganja.
She said 1,745 educated unemployed youths committed suicide fearing trouble from their family members as they were addicted to ganja. “The last government created a new entity called Special Enforcement Bureau to deal with ganja as one of its priorities but it was not given the authority to bookcases.”
Ganja, she said, was being cultivated in about 15,000 acres in the agency areas of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari. “Some politicians are involved in its cultivation. We will set up de-addiction centres for the benefit of youths to overcome their addiction and lead a normal life,’ the minister added.
