The Odisha government has stepped up its efforts to prevent illegal ganja cultivation on government land, directing field-level revenue officials in six identified districts to maintain continuous surveillance and take prompt action against repeat cultivation.
Revenue and Disaster Management Department Additional Chief Secretary Dr Aravind Kumar Padhee has written to the collectors of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Boudh and Gajapati, directing officials to remain alert and strengthen monitoring mechanisms at the field level.
The move comes as the 2026-27 crop season gets underway and follows the destruction of thousands of acres of illegal ganja plantations during the previous crop season.
Over 36,500 acres of illegal cultivation destroyed
During the 2025-26 crop season, Odisha Police destroyed illegal ganja cultivation spread across 36,508.792 acres in 1,631 GPS-mapped plots under 41 police station jurisdictions across the six districts.
Of the total area, 6,632.197 acres were identified as government revenue land.
Police authorities have also shared the GPS coordinates of locations where illegal ganja plantations were destroyed between November 2025 and March 2026.
The Revenue Department will use these coordinates to establish systematic and continuous surveillance of the identified plots.
Officials told to watch for repeat cultivation
The government has expressed concern that illegal ganja growers may return to the same government land every year, particularly in remote and inaccessible areas.
With the new crop season already underway, officials have been asked to pay special attention to plots where ganja cultivation was previously detected and destroyed.
Tahasildars, additional Tahasildars, Revenue Inspectors (RIs) and Revenue Supervisors have been instructed to work together to prevent the re-establishment of illegal plantations.
Officials have also been asked to maintain plot- and village-wise records of previously affected government land along with their GPS coordinates.
Police, STF and ANTF to be alerted immediately
If illegal ganja cultivation is detected again on government revenue land, field-level officials have been instructed to immediately inform the concerned police station, the Special Task Force (STF) or the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF).
The department has also directed district administrations to establish an internal reporting mechanism so that information about illegal cultivation reaches law enforcement agencies without delay.
Officials have been asked to coordinate closely with local police authorities and ensure strict compliance with the directions.
Strict action against officials helping ganja mafias
The Revenue Department has also issued a strong warning to its officials.
Dr Padhee said strict action would be taken against any revenue official found assisting individuals or mafias involved in illegal ganja cultivation.
The department has directed district collectors to ensure that the monitoring and reporting mechanism functions effectively and that government land is not repeatedly used for illegal cultivation.
The latest instructions are aimed at strengthening coordination between the Revenue Department and law enforcement agencies and preventing the recurrence of illegal ganja cultivation on government land across the six identified districts.
