The Andhra government has undertaken a major drive to eradicate ganja cultivation in the state from the next season with the help of satellite imagery.

The Prohibition and Excise department will be undertaking the exercise, as per a report in The New Indian Express. 

For the first time in the country, the Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN), which is part of the Department of Space, Govt. of India, was able to spot ganja cultivation areas successfully, in the dense forests of Visakhapatnam, the report says.

After three patches were spotted by ADRIN, the Prohibition and Excise department together with the armed forces went to these areas and confirmed the cultivation of ganja.

The crop was destroyed and the tribals in these areas were told not to indulge in ganja cultivation, the report adds.

Andhra CM N. Chandrababu Naidu has ordered police officials to take strict action against people indulging in ganja cultivation.

“Yes, the ADRIN experiments helped us locate ganja cultivation areas. The excise and police officials visited the three locations which have been spotted with the help of satellite images and destroyed the ganja crop. The coordination committee is also chalking out plans to take up preventive measures to put a logical end to ganja cultivation in the dense forests,” said Director of Enforcement, Prohibition and Excise Department K Venkateshwara Rao to NIE.