Bhubaneswar: Police plan to start a crackdown on kanwariyas smoking ganja publicly. The decision was taken after several social media users slammed the police for turning a blind eye towards kanwariyas smoking ganja openly besides the national highway connecting Cuttack with Bhubaneswar.

Deputy commissioner of police Anup Kumar Sahoo has directed police stations concerned to identify kanwariyas smoking ganja in public.

"Police control room vans have been instructed to detect offenders. Our patrolling will also be intensified on various roads," said Sahoo.

The famous Lingaraj Temple at Old Town is one of the most sought after destinations by the kanwariyas. Thousands of devotees offer water at the temple on Mondays in the holy month of Shravan.

Kanwariyas carrying water to Ladu Baba temple in Sarankul in Nayagarh district and Loknath temple in Puri also pass through Bhubaneswar.

The kanwariyas smoke ganja on the busy roads paying scant regards to onlookers and even the police. Some of them also smoke while waiting in bus shelters during rain, causing inconvenience to other people.

"Such activity leaves a bad impact on the children, while commuters also get irritated by the smell of ganja. If the police imposes a penalty on smokers for public smoking of tobacco, how are the kanwariyas above the law?" said Rasulgarh resident Akash Nayak.

The Rasulgarh Square remains jam-packed though out Sunday night as devotees take rest there. A number of charitable organisations have set up temporary kiosks along the Cuttack Road to provide shelter and food to the kanwariyas.

Statistics also revealed increase in detection of violation of no-smoking rule in public places in 2017 in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubnaeswar. According to records, while 4,829 people were penalised for smoking in public places in 2016, the number went up to 6,539 in the twin cities in 2017. The police in 2017 collected Rs 6.07 lakh as fine from offenders for smoking tobacco in public.