Nellore reduced to a narcotics hub under Coalition Govt

Nellore, Dec 1: YSRCP MLC P. Chandrasekhar Reddy strongly criticised the TDP-led coalition government for bringing unprecedented disgrace to Nellore, a city once known for honesty, trust and peace. Addressing the media at the YSRCP office in Nellore, he said the city has now turned into a full-fledged narcotics hub, with murders, robberies, drug culture and organised rowdyism spreading at alarming levels. He revealed that drug and crime operations are being run from inside prisons, reflecting the total collapse of intelligence and policing systems under the present regime.
He said the situation deteriorated drastically only after the coalition government assumed power in 2024. New and dangerous trends like gang-style killings for as little as a Rs. 300 ganja packet, liquor–ganja intoxication accidents, and spike in violent crimes have emerged. In contrast, the previous YSRCP government had almost stamped out ganja networks by booking cases without fear or favour and seizing nearly one lakh kilograms of contraband. However, after TDP came to power, criminals were shuffled across zones, and drug offenders from around Visakhapatnam were transferred into Nellore jail, where they established a chain network along with local offenders.
Highlighting a three-tier supply chain, he explained that ganja is shipped from Odisha, packed into 2.25-kg parcels and sold for Rs. 28,000–Rs. 30,000. Nellore alone has about 30 suppliers operating through nearly 300 delivery boys—many of them degree graduates—who earn commissions and are slowly becoming addicts themselves. Over 6,000 youth in Nellore have already been pushed into ganja addiction, reflecting the gravity of the crisis.
MLC Chandrasekhar Reddy questioned why Minister P. Narayana remains silent despite such a serious law-and-order breakdown, noting that if he could gather all this information within 24 hours, the minister must surely know far more. Yet, he shows interest only in pension distribution and not in saving Nellore’s future. Arresting delivery boys alone, he said, would expose the entire chain.
He condemned the brutal murder of Penchalaiah, a local youth who fought against drug networks killed over a mere Rs. 300 ganja packet. Such cruelty had never been witnessed in Nellore’s history, he said, questioning why highway policing and night beat systems have collapsed. Expressing condolences on behalf of the party, he asserted that incidents of this nature are impossible without political patronage from those in power.
The MLC demanded immediate action to dismantle the drug mafia, restore law and order, and protect the youth of Nellore from the narcotics menace unleashed under the coalition government.