AGARTALA, December 23 (TIWN): In an exemplary display of courage and bravery, a joint team led by SDM Sadar Manik Lal Das, BSF 195 Battalion, Police, Excise officials destroyed massive ganja plantation worth Rs. 7 lakh 80 thousand, at Ichamua in Mariyam Nagar, here today.

Tightening the noose further around the neck of the unscrupulous ganja cultivators and businessmen whose insatiable hunger for easy money has seen illicit ganja cultivations proliferating over the years in Sadar Sub­Division, a joint raid team of Sub­Divisional Administration, BSF 195 Battalion, and Police personel, led by SDM Sadar Manik Lal Das, has today cut down 156 ganja plants raised over an area of 1 acre in Ichamua under Mariyam Nagar between 1.30 pm and 4 pm.

The destruction operation was continued till the evening. However, no arrest has been made in connection with the case and SDM added that a search operation has been continuing to arrest the owner of the plantation. The worth of these plants in the open market was expected to be around Rs 7 lakh 80 thousand. Cannabis is grown on a large scale in interior and inaccessible areas of the state.

The monetary value of the ganja plants destroyed today has been estimated to be Rs.7 lakh 80 thousand, considering the average cannabis yield from each plant to be 300 gm. With today’s operation, a crippling monetary loss has been inflicted upon the behind ­the scene investors in such ganja plantations, who are accustomed to operating hitherto with virtual impunity that made them so much well entrenched that their writ would run large in almost every local affair.

Since most of these plantations are tucked away in hills and forests, government agencies have a tough time destroying these. A large number of villagers in the state cultivate ganja and smuggle it to Bangladesh through the porous international border to earn a fast buck. “There is a huge demand for ganja in Bangladesh, and Tripura plays a key role in meeting this demand”, SDM mentioned.