Judicial, district officials inspect site for proposed narcotics storage centre

Anantapur: Senior, judicial and district officials on Tuesday inspected a proposed site for establishing a dedicated Narcotics and Ganja Storage Centre at the AR Headquarters premises within the District Police Office campus in Anantapur city.

The inspection was led by District Principal District Judge Justice E. Bhimarao, First Additional District Judge and NDPS Court Judge C. Satyavani, and District Collector O Anand. The site currently serves as a storage location for seized ganja and other narcotic substances.

During the visit, the officials reviewed the existing infrastructure and assessed the feasibility of developing a secure and scientifically managed storage facility for narcotics seized in various cases across the district. The move is aimed at ensuring safe custody, proper documentation and adherence to legal procedures in handling contraband substances.

The Principal District Judge and the Collector directed the Mandal Surveyor, Roads and Buildings (R&B) Superintending Engineer and other concerned departmental officials to expedite the land survey process. They instructed authorities to complete all formalities at the earliest so that the establishment of the Narcotics Storage Centre can proceed without delay.

Officials emphasised the importance of a secure and well-maintained storage facility to prevent misuse, tampering or deterioration of seized substances, which often serve as critical evidence in NDPS-related cases. The proposed centre is expected to streamline the storage system and strengthen the district’s mechanism for handling narcotics cases in coordination with the judiciary and police departments.

Among those present during the inspection were AR DSP Neelakanteswara Reddy, DTC DSP Suryanarayana Reddy, Municipal Commissioner Jaswanth Rao, DCRB CI Vali Basha, RIs Madhu and Pawan Kumar, R&B SE Muralikrishna, tahsildar Mohan Kumar, Municipal Executive Engineer Shakir and the mandal surveyor, along with other officials from concerned departments.

The initiative reflects coordinated efforts between the judiciary, district administration and police to enhance institutional infrastructure for narcotics control and ensure strict compliance with legal standards in the handling and storage of seized contraband.