Chief Secretary stresses on coordinated efforts to make Andhra Pradesh drug-free

Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand has stressed the importance of coordinated efforts by various State and Central agencies to make Andhra Pradesh a drug- and ganja-free State.

Speaking at the second quarterly Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) meeting held on Tuesday, Mr. Vijayanand said the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE), formed by the government, was actively working to curb ganja cultivation in tribal areas of North Andhra Pradesh.

He said EAGLE officers were creating awareness among tribal communities and encouraging them to shift to alternative crops such as coffee and silver oak, while also providing them with the necessary training and support.

Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta, who joined the meeting virtually, highlighted the need to strengthen inter-State check posts to curb drug and ganja smuggling.

Inspector General of Police and EAGLE head Ake Ravi Krishna gave an overview of several operations including Operation Garuda, Operation Safe Campus Zone, Garuda 2.0, and Operation Chaitanya. These initiatives aim to curb the sale of unprescribed drugs in medical shops, check smuggling through trains, and eliminate ganja cultivation in Alluri Sitharama Raju district.

Principal Secretary (GAD) Mukesh Kumar Meena, Special Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Krishna Babu, Principal Secretary (Home) Kumar Vishwajeet, Visakhapatnam Range DIG Gopinath Jetty, EAGLE SPs Nagesh Babu and Rajan Kumar, and officials from DRI, NCB, and IB also participated virtually.