Chandrababu Naidu and his party leaders are trying to paint a picture as if the ganja issue has just cropped up during the YSRCP rule

Notwithstanding the criticism by main Opposition the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena, the fact remains that the history of ganja or hemp in the North Coastal tribal belt in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Odisha goes back to centuries.

Police records and the cases booked by the Narcotics Control Bureau, clearly establishes ganja smuggling from tribal areas on the borders of AP and Odisha even during  the TDP rule led by N Chandrababu Naidu in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh and also in the residual State after bifurcation of AP into two States.

During TDP rule, as ganja smuggling was going on unchecked and also being smuggled to Sri Lanka from Visakhapatnam, the Union Home Ministry had to alert the state to take stringent action. A meeting of DGPs of four states held in Bhogapuram of Vizagapatam district on October 10, 2016, took note of the age-old ganja transportation. The media published stories and analyses on how ganja was being smuggled from the Andhra-Odisha border during 2014 and in early 2019 during the TDP rule.

During the British Rule in India, the then administration had appointed the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission. The purpose of the Commission was to ascertain, amongst others, the extent to which the hemp plant is cultivated in the provinces. Officers responsible for the top Administration in Vizagapatam districts containing the present three North coastal districts of AP and five border districts of Orissa (under Madras Presidency) were among over eleven hundred witnesses who appeared before the Commission and gave evidence as well as suggestions to overcome the problem. The Commission later published its conclusions.

Despite all these facts and records available right from British Rule, Chandrababu and his party leaders are trying to paint a picture as if the ganja issue has just cropped up now during YSRCP rule. The TDP leaders are conveniently forgetting the fact that their party Minister Ch.Ayyanna Patrudu openly raised his voice against another minister and found fault with the latter for conducting review meetings on the steps being taken to eradicate ganja smuggling ignoring the realities that the kingpins behind the smuggling were not being booked.

At least people of the state cannot forget the decision taken by the then police heads to take stringent action against the hemp cultivators in the Visakhapatnam agency pockets on AOB and even decided to destroy the weed fields with the help of the satellite images. In 2014 and 2015 the Visakhapatnam police arrested 1,150 persons and seized over 50 tonnes of ganja and a number of vehicles, however, no kingpin was then arrested.

While this is the scenario during 2014 and early 2019 in Andhra Pradesh, within a few days after YS Jagan Mohan Reddy assuming charge as new Chief Minister, the state government took a firm stand to suppress the ganja gangs. The AP police have registered 2,040 cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against ganja smugglers and paddlers so far this year. A total of 270 tonnes of ganja has been seized by arresting 5,415 persons involved in the smuggling from January 1 till October end this year.

At a time when the State government has intensified its operations and are trying to end the menace, TDP is trying to show figures provided by the police department to twist and say that ganja smuggling is thriving under YSR rule. Misinformation with regard to seizure of drugs in Mundra port is also being spread by the opposition TDP. Despite Central government agencies associated with the investigation of the case as also the DGP categorically clarifying that AP has no links to the seizure of drugs, the TDP continues to carry out the propaganda.

 "The increasing number of NDPS cases is an indication that police are acting tough on ganja smugglers. We are observing zero tolerance towards smuggling of ganja, drugs and any other sedatives which cause harm to health and spoil career of youngsters," said Director General of Police D Gautam Sawang.

Police have filed more cases in 2020 and 2021 compared to previous years. On a number of occasions, the DGP has made it clear that ganja cultivation has been prevalent in the neighbouring States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and the contraband is being transported from the border areas.

The police department is working on a specific strategy to weed out ganja smuggling from the State with the cooperation of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

(The writer is Advisor, national media and interstate affairs, Government of Andhra Pradesh. The views expressed are personal.)