Imphal: The Anti-Narcotic Task Forces (ANTFs) from the central and state forces have intensified their war on illegal poppy cultivation, destroying 71 poppy fields and 11 huts in Manipur’s Senapati district, which shares a border with Nagaland to the north, officials reported on Saturday.
Forest officials from the Senapati Forest Division provided drone support for aerial reconnaissance. About 40 acres of poppy fields at Ngatan Hill Range in Senapati district were destroyed during the operation on Friday.
Eleven makeshift huts were burnt, and fertilizers, salt, irrigation pipes, spray pumps, and other items found at the sites were also destroyed.
Friday’s campaign marked the second such operation in January. On January 6, the first operation against illegal cultivation was launched at Khabung Hill Range (Upper and Lower Khabung villages) in the same district.
Out of 32 acres of poppy fields identified during an earlier survey, the team successfully destroyed 31 acres in the first operation this year. About one acre was found barren or discontinued.
Half a bag of fertilizers and salt, along with irrigation pipes, spray pumps, and other items found at the site, were also destroyed.
The operations were carried out under the overall supervision of the Superintendent of Police, Senapati.
The combined team was led by the Additional SP (L/O) along with the SDPO–SPT, consisting of teams from Senapati PS, Maram PS, Tadubi PS, Mao PS, RL-SPT; teams from B-109, F-36, C-142, and G-112 CRPF; teams from 16 AR; teams from the 4th IRB; and the Executive Magistrate. No arrests were made, but cases were registered in this regard.
The official added that the District ANTF will continue the destruction drive to eliminate illicit poppy cultivation and reiterated its strong resolve to sustain intensive anti-poppy operations across the district.