Odisha police will launch a special statewide anti-drug campaign from April 1, director-general of police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania said on Friday.
Addressing a news conference, Khurania said: “We will eliminate the menace of cannabis, marijuana, and other narcotic substances from the state within the next three years. Odisha police launched a special two-month operation starting January 1. We achieved unprecedented results during this period.”
He said cannabis cultivation worth approximately ₹1,444 crore was destroyed, while cannabis worth ₹1,346 crore, 1,862 litres of cannabis oil worth ₹200 crore, brown sugar worth ₹41.7 crore, and cough syrup worth ₹10.17 crore were seized.
A total of 654 interstate drug traffickers were arrested.
Police said marijuana cultivation and smuggling were mainly found in Naxal-affected areas, where it served as an easy source of income for Left-wing Extremism (LWE) groups.
“We have destroyed their financial backbone. Due to sustained police action, such groups, once active in 12 districts, are now confined to only 2–3 districts. Cannabis cultivation has decreased by 50 per cent in districts like Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput,” the DGP said.
Odisha police have also intensified anti-Maoist operations to apprehend top Naxal leader Shukru, believed to be hiding in dense forest areas of Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Rayagada with around 15 cadres.
Khurania said: “Only a few Maoists remain, and I am confident that we will achieve our goal of a Maoist-free state by March 31. We know their hideouts, and as I speak, an operation is ongoing there. It’s a matter of time only to completely get rid of the menace.”
He also highlighted the recent busting of a hashish oil manufacturing unit in Koraput, where over 1,800 litres of hashish oil worth about ₹200 crore were seized, and appealed to people to cooperate with police.
Currently, 41 drug de-addiction centres funded by the Centre are operational in 29 districts, along with 11 funded by the state, taking the total to 52.
Of these, 15 central and 30 state-run centres provide free accommodation, food, treatment, and technical training to addicts for one month. So far, 395 individuals have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.
