AGARTALA, May 2 (TIWN): "BSF (Border Security Forces) troopers have seized and destroyed drugs and cannabis plants valued at Rs.20 crore along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura in the year 2015 till date," said DIG B S Tolia.

Taking to TIWN on Saturday over telephone BSF DIG B S Tolia said that drug smuggling has increased along the India-Bangladesh border while the vigil along the frontiers has been tightened to curb it.

"Since 2012, over 1,017,255 cannabis plants valued at Rs.255 crore have been destroyed along the border with Bangladesh," Tolia mentioned. 

Plantations of cannabis are done on a large scale in the interior and inaccessible areas of the border region. Since most of these plantations are tucked away in hills and forests, government agencies have a tough time to detect and destroy them.

According to officials, a large number of villagers in Tripura cultivate cannabis and smuggle it to Bangladesh to earn money.

"There is a huge demand for cannabis in Bangladesh, and Tripura plays a key role in meeting this demand," the official said.

The state has gradually shaped itself into the safest corridor in India’s Northeast for passage of contraband drugs into the adjoining territory of Bangladesh.