Authorities destroyed cannabis worth Rs 4.5 crore during a joint raid under Operation Green Clean in Koraput district.
Excise Superintendent Arun Kumar Padhi and Baipariguda Police OIC Dambaru Dhar Batria directed the operation. Teams from the excise, police, and forest departments raided jungles near Kotraguada and Bhatiguada villages under G. Majhiguda Panchayat. They destroyed cannabis cultivated illegally across 38 acres of land.
Excise officials uprooted and burned 21,600 cannabis plants spread over 18 acres. Police destroyed 24,000 plants grown on 20 acres. Together, the destroyed crop carried an estimated market value of Rs 4.5 crore.
The raid involved Nandapur Excise Inspector Sudhir Kumar Sahu, Baipariguda SI Dhirendra Barik, DFS Inspector Chandra Sekhar Padihari, Additional Tahasildar Jhadeswar Soura, and several excise staff and constables. Forest officials also supported the operation.
Officials revealed that remote and Maoist-prone areas of the Baipariguda block often witness illegal cannabis cultivation. They confirmed that Operation Green Clean will continue to eliminate such plantations and curb the trade.
