The Tripura police, as per the directions of Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, is stepping up efforts to eradicate cannabis cultivation by using advanced drone technology.

Police sources said that on Wednesday, the Sepahijala district police under Jatrapur and Bishalgarh police stations detected illegal cannabis plantations spanning acres of land with drone assistance and destroyed them, setting a precedent for tech-enabled law enforcement.

Police sources added that after detecting acres of Ganja plantations in some interior areas under Jaytrapur police station, a large contingent of state police along with TSR jawans led by senior officials rushed to these spots and they destroyed above 45,000 plants.

In another operation after detection of cannabis plantation by drone cameras, the police personnel from Bishalgarh police station destroyed about 77,000 Ganja plants in Chelikhala area.

The government is now integrating multi-spectral cameras with drones to capture high-definition images and identify cannabis plants as short as three feet. The State police is working with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Google to map and track illegal cannabis plantations via satellite imagery.

The initiative reflects the government’s commitment to curbing narcotics production and fostering a drug-free society, said a top police official.

Sources have highlighted the challenges posed by the hilly terrain and bordering areas of Tripura, which allows cultivators to conceal their operations within dense foliage. “Initial drone investigations have revealed small clusters of ganja plants spread across interior villages of Sepahijala district and some villages are much closer to the Indo-Bangla border. The operation’s scale was underestimated initially, with local informers suggesting presence of only around a few plants, before the drones uncovered the full extent of the cultivation. After drones established Ganja plantations in acres of land, then police forces rushed to these spots and carried out their destruction operations.