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In one of the biggest anti-narcotics crackdowns in recent months, officials in Keonjhar district uprooted and destroyed nearly 12,000 ganja (cannabis) plants, amounting to 4000 kg, cultivated illegally across multiple patches inside the Tangarpada Khesara forest area, authorities said on Saturday.
The large-scale operation, spanning nearly five to six acres of forest land, was conducted by a joint enforcement team comprising personnel from the BJP Range Forest Staff, Kanjipani Police Station and the Excise Department, Keonjhar. The illegal plantations were found in four separate patches around Tangarpada, Sunajhari and Benidihi regions. According to officials, preliminary assessments indicate that the destroyed plants carry an estimated market value between Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.5 crore. The coordinated action was undertaken under the supervision of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Keonjhar, who said that persistent surveillance and strict enforcement drives will continue to curb illegal cultivation and encroachment in forest zones. (ANI).
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