Ganja trafficking continues unabated

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 20: When a comprehensive campaign is being conducted in Cooch Behar district against illegal trading and trafficking of ganja, interstate ganja smugglers are busy in making this district as their business hub. Recovering of huge quantity of ganja and arrest of some traffickers in recent times revealed the activities of the interstate gangs in this region.

 

Ganja is considered as a cash crop in many villages in Cooch Behar district especially that are situated in the bordering areas near the rivers. The sandy riverbanks are ideal places for its cultivation. It is alleged that the recent campaign against cultivation and trading of ganja and the punishment one may suffer if caught red-handed yielded a poor response in the villages.

 

It was learnt that ganja traders come from outer provinces to the villages and offer lucrative prices against the green crop. Dry and processed ganja can get higher price. They encourage the poor villagers to grow the plant to get lucrative returns with almost nothing invested. Recently police arrested a few ganja traders of Bihar and their local associates from different villages and seized huge volumes of ganja.

 

Some riverside villages in Mathabhanga, Dinhata, Sitalkuchi and Cooch Behar are known as ganja cultivated areas. A senior police officer claimed that the recent campaign against ganja cultivation was able to discourage the cultivation of the crop. Presently trading is going on with old and processed ganja that was kept hidden by the local growers. As regular drive is on against the illegal trading and cultivation of the crop the authorities will certainly be able to control the menace shortly, he hoped. []

 

PHOTO : A leaflet released on behalf of the district magistrate of Cooch Behar against ganja cultivation.