About 35,000 marijuana plants were destroyed in the bordering villages of Tripura during a joint drive by the BSF, police, forest department, excise and the general administration.
This is the second big anti-narcotics operation in a week. Earlier on October 28, 75,000 marijuana plants were destroyed in another bordering area Bakshanagar in Sepahijal district.
Based on specific information of the field intelligence team of the BSF Gakulnagar Sector, the action was mounted in two places in the forest area of Konaban and Kamalasagar, near the Bangladesh border.
"Every year from November onwards the civil administration, police and the BSF we start destruction of cannabis which is locally known as ganja. We have started from the Kamalasagar area and its adjacent areas. We have destructed around 35,000 cannabis plants and in the international market its price is around 15 crores," said Prashun Dey, SDM, Bishalghar.
"Our activity will go on until and unless we completely destroy the ganja cultivation in the total areas of Bishalghar and its adjacent subdivision. Usually it is smuggled outside as well as to various parts of our country. Our main motto is to completely eradicate this bad practice from this area," he added.
Several government agencies are coordinating the drive and making people aware of the hazards of its cultivation but it remains a lucrative business with a kilo of dry marijuana fetching between Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000.
Marijuana is illegally cultivated in the Sepahijala district of Tripura for being smuggled mainly to Bangladesh.
