Imphal: The Manipur government has renewed its all-out war against illegal poppy cultivation, preparing to destroy acres of poppy plants ahead of their bumper harvest at the end of October in different parts of the state, state officials said.
The destruction operations will be planned carefully by the newly formed Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) and implemented by forming teams. Apart from state forces, the central security forces are also being engaged in this war.
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In an order, joint secretary (Home) Mayengbam Veto Singh stated that the new move is in pursuance of a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) communication regarding ground verification and destruction operations in connection with illicit opium/poppy cultivation in Manipur.
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To this effect, the state government has reconstituted ANTF with the objective of bringing together stakeholders concerned on a single platform for effective coordination and implementation of the War on Drug-2.0 and anti-drug campaign activities with immediate effect.
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A joint committee of the Narcotics Control Bureau and Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) has also been formed to survey and destroy poppy plantations in this sensitive border state, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said in a statement on Saturday. Illegal poppy cultivation and its harvesting is one of the main causes of communal violence in the state.
The new ANTF comprises IGP (Intelligence/NAB) as head of the task force; IGP (Zone-III), IGP (Cyber Crime), ICAR director, principal chief conservator of forests, joint secretary (Home), DCs/SPs of districts concerned, TA&H director, Social Welfare director, Horticulture director, MARSAC director, Forensic Science director, additional district magistrates (ADMs) of Imphal West and East, Cyber Corporation (IT) representative, and two government advocates as members; SP (NAB) as convener-1 & secretarial support, and NCB, Manipur head as convener-2.
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Notably, around 14,359.4 acres of poppy cultivation and 20 acres of cannabis were destroyed under BJP 1.0 (2017-2022), while under BJP 2.0 (2022-23), 4,305.1 acres of illegal poppy cultivation were destroyed. 3,517.8 acres of poppy cultivation were destroyed in 2022 alone.
For this year (2023), till March, 787.3 acres of poppy cultivation have been destroyed to date. Since January 1, 2020, 80 people including 16 village chiefs, 62 poppy cultivators, and 2 investors have been arrested.