Poppy Crops Destroyed in Manipur

Imphal, Feb 19 : In a recent series of operations beginning January 12, a joint team of government forces, enforcement agencies and All Manipur Anti-Drug Association (Amada) destroyed 254 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in the strife-torn state. The total value of the damaged narcotic plants in the illicit market is over Rs 16 crore, officials sources said.

Crude narcotic products made from parts of these plants that grow on inaccessible and difficult terrain reach the notorious Golden Triangle through the porous Indo-Myanmarese border, drug analysts said. Druglords buy the products from cultivators in order to manufacture heroin, members of the team said, adding that 1 kg local of raw fluids extracted from poppy seeds fetches poppy cultivators Rs 30,000.

During the two-day drive ending Thursday, the combined team of Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) regional Imphal unit; customs division Imphal; NAB; state police; Amada, a prominent anti-drug body of the state; and 43 Assam Rifles destroyed the illicit poppy crop covering around 100 acres at Saijang village near Saikul in Senapati district and Kopak Nepali Basti in Imphal East.

The approximate value of the destroyed plants in the illicit market would be around Rs 6.6 crore, said a statement released by the superintendent of the NCB regional unit, Imphal, on Friday, adding that the drive was carried out systematically under the provision of the NDPS Act 1985 and that "nobody's sentiments were hurt".

Elaborating on the operation, the statement said the first drive of poppy plants this year was carried out at Thinghangzang, New Saikot and Solpizang villages in the remote Churachandpur district by NCB and Amada along with other enforcement agencies on January 12 and 13. Covering around 41 acres of crop, the drive destroyed poppy worth Rs 4.26 crore in the illegal market.

Later, on January 29 and 30, the same team demolished poppy cultivations on Kangchup hills in Senapati district, the statement said.

Between February 4 and 8, a third drive was launched at Saidang hill range of Churachandpur during which the team, comprising NCB,

Amada and 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, damaged plants grown on 68 acres of land. Expressing his regret for the farmers affected by the destruction operation, the regional director of the unit said he wanted to provide alternative crops to the cultivators and land-owners to replace illegal poppy cultivation next season, the statement added.