Strict action will be taken for using govt land for ganja cultivation, Additional Chief Secretary writes to six district Collectors

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Bhubaneswar: Odisha government is all set to take strict action against people who use government land for illegal cannabis cultivation. In view of this, Additional Chief Secretary of Revenue and Disaster Management Department Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee has written a letter to the field revenue officers of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Boudh and Gajapati districts to be vigilant.

According to Padhee, during the ongoing cannabis destruction campaign during the 2025-26 crop season, the Odisha Police destroyed illegal cannabis cultivation in 1,631 GPS-mapped plots of land totaling 36,508.792 acres under 41 police stations of the above-mentioned six districts. Out of this, 6,632.197 acres of land has been identified as government revenue land.

As per the government data, the police department has also made available the GPS coordinates of all the places where illegal cannabis cultivation was destroyed during the previous crop season, i.e. between November 2025 and March 2026. Based on this information, systematic and continuous monitoring of the relevant lands will be done.

Padhee has strictly instructed the concerned local officials to be vigilant, especially in remote and inaccessible areas, as there is a tendency for people involved in illegal cannabis cultivation to reuse the same government revenue land for cultivation every year. Since the 2026-27 crop season has begun, there is a risk of cannabis cultivation again in the previously destroyed land, and all the field officers have been instructed to keep a special watch in these areas.

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The Tahsildars, Additional Tahsildars, Revenue Inspectors (RIs) and Revenue Supervisors of the concerned districts have been asked to take coordinated steps. The field officers have been directed to keep a constant and vigilant eye on all government revenue lands where illegal cannabis cultivation has been detected and destroyed earlier and to be prepared by collecting the details of the land concerned along with GPS coordinates as per village and plot. Similarly, if illegal cannabis cultivation is detected again on government revenue lands, the concerned police station, STF or ANTF are to be informed immediately.

The Revenue Secretary has directed the District Magistrates of the concerned districts to make arrangements to inform the necessary legal action under Section 47 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and to set up a proper internal reporting system at the district level and to make arrangements to immediately convey information related to illegal cultivation to the law enforcement agencies without delay.

In addition, it has been asked to coordinate with the local police administration to prevent illegal cannabis cultivation and ensure strict compliance of the instructions. Similarly, if any information is received that any revenue officer is cooperating with any mafia person involved in cannabis cultivation, strict action will be taken against him immediately, Padhee has issued strict instructions.

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