Bhubaneswar, 14 August (H.S.): The Odisha government has stepped up field-level surveillance to prevent the recurrence of illegal cannabis cultivation on government land, warning revenue officials of strict action if found assisting or facilitating the cannabis mafia.

Revenue and Disaster Management Additional Chief Secretary Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee has written to Collectors of six districts—Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Boudh and Gajapati—directing them to strengthen monitoring and ensure coordinated action by field-level revenue officials.

Padhee instructed Tahsildars, Additional Tahsildars, Revenue Inspectors and Revenue Supervisors to maintain continuous surveillance over government revenue land where illegal cannabis cultivation had previously been detected and destroyed.

The officials have also been directed to prepare and maintain village-wise and plot-wise records, including the GPS coordinates of such locations, to facilitate systematic monitoring and prevent fresh cultivation.

The Additional Chief Secretary further directed that whenever illegal cannabis cultivation is detected on government land, the concerned police station, Special Task Force (STF) or Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) must be informed immediately. The letter also calls for an internal reporting mechanism at the district level to ensure prompt communication and follow-up action.

Issuing a stern warning, Padhee said strict action would be taken against any revenue official found assisting or supporting persons involved in illegal cannabis cultivation.

The move follows an extensive cannabis destruction drive undertaken by Odisha Police during the 2025-26 crop season. According to police data, illegal cannabis cultivation was destroyed across 1,631 GPS-mapped land parcels covering 36,508.792 acres under 41 police stations in the six districts. Of the total area, 6,632.197 acres comprised government revenue land.

The Police Department has shared GPS coordinates of locations where illegal cannabis cultivation was destroyed between November 2025 and March 2026. The government will use the data to establish systematic and continuous surveillance of the previously cleared plots.

According to Padhee, offenders often return to the same government revenue land, particularly in remote and inaccessible areas, to cultivate cannabis during subsequent seasons. With the 2026-27 crop season now underway, the possibility of renewed cultivation on previously cleared land remains a concern.

The government has therefore called for special monitoring of such locations and stronger coordination between revenue authorities and local police to prevent the re-emergence of illegal cannabis cultivation.

The latest directive is aimed at shifting the enforcement approach from periodic destruction drives to continuous, location-based monitoring, ensuring that cleared government land does not become a recurring target for cannabis cultivation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda