Illegal cannabis plantation worth Rs 5 crore was destroyed in two separate places in dense forest of Mohana block by Mohana police here recently.
On the direction of Gajapati SP Charan Singh Mina, a team led by R Udayagiri Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rabindra Kumar Sethi along with district excise officials raided two places in Dhenka Sidhaba and Mardimuli mouza under Badasindhaba Panchayat here and destroyed around 35,000 cannabis trees.
According to police cannabis plantation were done in 9.065 hectare of Government land in Mardimuli mouza and in 10.245 hectare of land in Dhenka Sidhaba mouza since last few years.
Since maximum areas of the district are dense forest and Maoist dominated, ganja traders are expanding their business with help of local innocent tribals by proving financial assistance to them, locals alleged.
locals too blamed the district excise officials for their failure to check the unfair business.